Folks, I’ve really outdone myself this time. I must give a nod to the Chef de Cuisine over at Borough in Minneapolis, Benjamin Monster, as this is a riff on one of his dishes. It worked. Pretty darn well.
Step One: Brine your Chops
2 ~8 oz. pork chops, about an inch thick bone in
Water
Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt
Crushed red pepper flakes
Black pepper
Dried thyme
sugar
Submerge chops in enough water to fully cover the chops (about 4 cups) in pastic bag or tupperware container. Add about a quarter cup to a half cup of vinegar. A couple tablespoons of salt and a couple more tablespoons of sugar. A little pepper (black and red pepper), thyme or oregano. Refrigerate in brine overnight if possible, otherwise refrigerate in brine at least a couple hours before you want to put the chops on the grill.
Step Two: Make your peach glaze
3 peaches, peeled and pitted
½ c sugar
½ c water
¼ c honey
¼ c apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp fresh minced or grated ginger
½ tsp hot sauce or to taste*
Take the 3 peaches and in your hands crush them over a small saucepan (about 1.5 quarts). Next add the sugar, water, honey and mix well. Heat on high heat until mixture begins to boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add mustard, soy, ginger, and hot sauce. Stir occasionally, making an effort to eliminate any large chunks of peaches. Simmer for about twenty minutes. Turn off heat, add butter and fully incorporate. This can be prepared in advance and then simply reheated when supper is almost ready in just a few minutes.
Step Three: Grill Your Chops
About half an hour before you want to grill your chops, get your grill preheated and remove chops from brine and thoroughly pat them down so that they are dry on the outside. Let them rest on countertop. Once coals are ready (and step two is completed) throw the chops on the grill with indirect heat. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes to get the chops to 145 degrees F, for a medium preparation. After the chops reach 145, pull them off the grill and they will need to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step Four: Saute your Chanterelles**
½ lb of chanterelles, trimmed and cleaned
Salt
Two cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh thyme
Fresh tarragon (five leaves, minced)
Olive oil
2 tbsp. Butter
Dry sauté chanterelles in pan on medium high heat, especially if they are extremely wet. If fairly dry, skip this step. After the chanterelles have released their moisture and it has mostly evaporated, add oil, just enough to give the pan a thin film of oil all over. Reduce heat to medium low. Add about 2 sprigs worth of fresh thyme leaves, minced garlic and sprinkle a pinch or two of salt over the mushrooms. After a few minutes, they should be mostly cooked through. Add 2 tbsp of butter, turn heat off, and stir mushrooms and butter together until butter is fully melted and mushrooms are coated.
Step Five: Final Plating
Place chop on side of plate. Spoon the glaze over the chop and be sure to include some of the chunks of peach as well as generous amounts of the glaze. Dress by placing ample chanterelles over the glazed chop in an attractive manner. Sprinkle tarragon over the mushrooms.
I served this dish with a beautiful little celery, peach and milkweed pod salad, tossed in a citrus vinaigrette, you can find that recipe here. Also, served it up with a lighter bodied fruit forward but still dry red wine with enough acidity to cut the sweeter notes of the glaze and complement the vinaigrette.
Notes:
*I used a very spicy hot sauce made with Trinidad Moruga Scorpion peppers and ghost chili peppers that has the flavor of cinnamon, clove, and intense heat. A half tsp was sufficient for added flavor and a bit of spice. The goal of the hot sauce is not to make a spice bomb of a glaze, as this would really distract from the more subtle flavors of the chanterelles. With that said, up the game on the hot sauce and you’re left with an amazing peach chili glaze perfect for a batch of wings!!! (droool)...
**Steps three and four are best done simultaneously, particularly if your grill does not need a lot of attention (don’t burn the chops or the mushrooms though!). You could also cook the mushrooms first, then once the chops are done, lightly saute them on low to rewarm them.