I had some fresh cranberries left from Thanksgiving and came across this recipe. It was easy and the sauce was absolutely delicious,although the chops weren't well marbled and not as tender as I'd have liked. I only had two, albeit large ones but used all the sauce recipe and put them in a single layer. Served with baked butternut squash, sauteed turnip greens and the before mentioned salad with apples, dried cherries and walnuts, subbing pomegranate seeds for the dried cherries as mentioned by rhoward2va.
* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *
Baked Pork Chops with Cranberries
Recipe By : The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time:
Categories : Main Dish Pork
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
4 pork chops cut from the loin, 1/2-inch-thick,-- brined for 2 hours*
4 Tbs lard or unsalted butter (1/2 stick),
-- or a mixture of both
salt a and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Rinse and dry the pork chops with paper towels. Heat the lard or butter
in a heavy sauté pan until quite hot. Brown the pork chops on each side in
the hot fat. Remove from the pan, and season well on each side with salt and
pepper.
3. Put a third of the cranberries in the bottom of a small baking dish that
will hold the pork chops in two layers. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the sugar over
the cranberries. Lay two of the pork chops side by side on top of the
sugared cranberries. Top with half of the remaining cranberries, and
sprinkle another 1/4 cup of sugar over all. Top with the two remaining pork
chops, the same as before, and the remaining cranberries and sugar. Place a
piece of parchment directly on top of the cranberries, and a piece of foil
directly on top of the parchment. Cover the baking dish with a tight-fitting
lid, or wrap with a double thickness of foil to seal tightly.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until pork chops are tender.
Taste the cooked cranberries carefully, and add a little salt and black
pepper if needed. Serve the pork chops hot with the cranberry sauce spooned
over.
Cooking Tip: *If you buy pork that is labeled "Seasoned Pork” do not brine.
Cooking Tip: Brining For Poultry and Meat:
Cooking Tip: Brining poultry or pork-that is, soaking it in a saltwater
solution before cooking serves a twofold purpose: it helps the flesh retain
moisture and seasons it all the way through. To make the brine, stir kosher
salt into cold water until dissolved, in the proportion of 1/4 cup salt to 1
quart of water. (Don't use table salt in this formula, by the way, it will
be too salty.) Mix enough brine to cover the poultry or meat completely in a
(nonreactive) bowl or pot. Store refrigerated for the times specified below:
Cooking Tip: Cut-up chicken (Country Captain, Smothered Chicken, Fried
Chicken): brine for 8 to 12 hours
Cooking Tip: Whole chicken for roasting: brine for 8 to 24 hours (after 24
hours, the chicken can become too salty)
Cooking Tip: Whole turkey for roasting: brine for 24 to 48 hours
Cooking Tip: Pork chops: brine for 2 hours
Cooking Tip: Pork loin: brine for 8 to 24 hours
Cooking Tip: Pork shoulder: brine for 24 hours
Comments: A simple, flavorful supper dish that Miss Lewis used to make at
Cafe Nicholson in the 1940s. Layer pork chops and sugared cranberries in a
casserole and bake-the tart berries tenderize the meat and render a
delicious sauce. It's a good way to prepare chicken too.
Recipe Source: The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and
Scott Peacock.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *
Baked Pork Chops with Cranberries
Recipe By : The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time:
Categories : Main Dish Pork
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
4 pork chops cut from the loin, 1/2-inch-thick,-- brined for 2 hours*
4 Tbs lard or unsalted butter (1/2 stick),
-- or a mixture of both
salt a and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Rinse and dry the pork chops with paper towels. Heat the lard or butter
in a heavy sauté pan until quite hot. Brown the pork chops on each side in
the hot fat. Remove from the pan, and season well on each side with salt and
pepper.
3. Put a third of the cranberries in the bottom of a small baking dish that
will hold the pork chops in two layers. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the sugar over
the cranberries. Lay two of the pork chops side by side on top of the
sugared cranberries. Top with half of the remaining cranberries, and
sprinkle another 1/4 cup of sugar over all. Top with the two remaining pork
chops, the same as before, and the remaining cranberries and sugar. Place a
piece of parchment directly on top of the cranberries, and a piece of foil
directly on top of the parchment. Cover the baking dish with a tight-fitting
lid, or wrap with a double thickness of foil to seal tightly.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until pork chops are tender.
Taste the cooked cranberries carefully, and add a little salt and black
pepper if needed. Serve the pork chops hot with the cranberry sauce spooned
over.
Cooking Tip: *If you buy pork that is labeled "Seasoned Pork” do not brine.
Cooking Tip: Brining For Poultry and Meat:
Cooking Tip: Brining poultry or pork-that is, soaking it in a saltwater
solution before cooking serves a twofold purpose: it helps the flesh retain
moisture and seasons it all the way through. To make the brine, stir kosher
salt into cold water until dissolved, in the proportion of 1/4 cup salt to 1
quart of water. (Don't use table salt in this formula, by the way, it will
be too salty.) Mix enough brine to cover the poultry or meat completely in a
(nonreactive) bowl or pot. Store refrigerated for the times specified below:
Cooking Tip: Cut-up chicken (Country Captain, Smothered Chicken, Fried
Chicken): brine for 8 to 12 hours
Cooking Tip: Whole chicken for roasting: brine for 8 to 24 hours (after 24
hours, the chicken can become too salty)
Cooking Tip: Whole turkey for roasting: brine for 24 to 48 hours
Cooking Tip: Pork chops: brine for 2 hours
Cooking Tip: Pork loin: brine for 8 to 24 hours
Cooking Tip: Pork shoulder: brine for 24 hours
Comments: A simple, flavorful supper dish that Miss Lewis used to make at
Cafe Nicholson in the 1940s. Layer pork chops and sugared cranberries in a
casserole and bake-the tart berries tenderize the meat and render a
delicious sauce. It's a good way to prepare chicken too.
Recipe Source: The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and
Scott Peacock.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -