A Stack of Dishes

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Gail Watson

Pork Chops in a Port, Juniper Berry, Orange Sauce with Individual Pommes Anna

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Donna Hay stole my idea! I shot this meal a little over a week ago, so you can imagine my surprise when I opened the latest issue of Delicious and saw a dish that was so similar to mine I almost fell over!! The recipe is different, and she does not showcase pommes anna, but the char on the pork and the curls of the orange zest- almost identical!
Honestly it made me chuckle and put a certain little pep in my step. I love Donna Hay’s taste and style, so our dual pork chops gave me a sense of kinship. I have to say, I like the company I keep.
This recipe is packed with flavor and texture but not not packed with heaviness. It’s surprisingly light and a great Fall meal for those days that you don’t want to add any Winter hibernation padding.
The potatoes are a little fiddly, but a lot of drama for a little effort. I made each batch in small fry pans, you can get two going at a time if you’re serving more than a couple at a time. Just slip the finished potatoes onto your dinner plates and then before serving slide into the oven to heat them back up and as an added bonus warm your plates too.
The port I used was worth the flavor- and I was happy to tap into the bottle I had stored in my liquor cabinet- but you can opt to switch this out for a pinot noir if you must. It will be a different experience but easier to pull off.
Pork Chops in a Port, Juniper Berry, Orange Sauce
 
serves 4
 
4 boneless pork chops, 1″ thick
1c port
2 cloves crushed garlic
2T juniper berries
4 bay leaves
3T brown sugar
zest from half orange
s & p
 
In small bowl combine all the ingredients except the pork. Muddle the garlic and zest a bit to release their oils into the port. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes until the sugar completely dissolves.
 
Place the mixture into a shallow pan and arrange pork to allow to marinate. This should be for at least 15 minutes each side, but can be longer.
 
Turn oven on to 375˚ and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment.
 
In frying pan with a glug of cooking grade olive oil, saute the pork about 2 minutes on each side over a medium high heat. Then slip the chops onto the baking sheet and slide into the oven. Allow to roast for about 8 minutes.
 
Meanwhile add the marinate into the pan with the pork drippings and gently cook to develop a light sauce. 
Individual Pommes Anna
4 starchy potatoes peeled and sliced super thin on a mandoline
2 cloves garlic sliced paper thin
1t butter per potato cake
1t olive oil per potato cake
s & p
In a small frying pan heat the olive oil and butter together until sizzling. Arrange the potato slices in a circular pattern. There should be at least 2 layers. There is no great science here, so feel free to overlap as little or as much as desired. Try to keep the ring about 4-5″ in diameter
Interleave some garlic into the potato slices and sprinkle generously with s & p.
Cook the potatoes without disturbing them for approximately 4 minutes. If you’ve made a cake that his thicker than half an inch place a lid over the pan to facilitate even cooking.
After the 4 minutes carefully slip a large spatula under the pan and slide/pull the cake off the pan and then flip over. The starch in the potatoes will make the cake stick together but it’s still a little fragile. If it breaks, just tuck it back up. No one will know.
Cook the potatoes on the other side for a few minutes until cooked through. You can test this by piercing with a fork. The potatoes should give way with ease and not resist.
Slide the cake onto a serving plate and place pork chop on top. Spoon a little sauce over each and accent with the zest.

Cappuccino and Vanilla Panna Cotta with Chocolate Truffle Filling

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There is no secret that I am a sweets girl, and any dinner party is just not complete without dessert. That said I am also always looking for sneaky ways to make luscious without a boatload of calories.
My favorite light dessert is panna cotta made with yogurt rather than cream. Panna cotta is set with unflavored gelatin to create that creamy custardy feel. No cooking involved except some warming of the gelatin to melt it down- so no tricky custard finessing.
Typically I make panna cotta in the summer and give it citrusy accents and then serve it with a fruit sauce of some kind. Berries can be stunningly beautiful suspended in the cream. The other wonderful thing about this dessert is it can easily be made several days in advance and kept in the fridge. At least you can get one thing out of the way.
The individuals are sweet and for an intimate party they are jewels- but I’ve also made shallow batches in baking pans and then turned them out onto low flat serving trays that have a lip on them. Puddle them into some colorful sauce and you have a dynamic presentation for a group. No trick getting them out of the pans either, just warm the bottom in some water and then flip. Works like a charm every time.
This particular combination I served at a small dinner party last week. I purchased these thin glasses for this specific purpose years ago. I used to have 12 and now I am down to 9 I think… this was my first time actually using them to make this dessert.
Now that we are into crisper temps I chose a cappuccino and classic vanilla. For some richness I divided the two by a thin level of dark chocolate ganache. This created a mixture of texture as well as a balance of richness. On top I served fresh hand whipped sweetened cream. Though I love a cheat dessert there DOES need to be some richness…
Cappuccino and Vanilla Panna Cotta
 
made six servings in 4″ diameter glasses
 
5c fat free yogurt- stirred smooth
1.5 c skim milk
4t unflavored gelatin
.5c superfine sugar
powdered instant espresso to taste (~2T)
vanilla bean extract
 
 
I halved this recipe and made the batches separately after each layer had set.
 
In a medium bowl combine 2.5c yogurt and .25c sugar. Stir to combine. If yogurt is not smooth use a hand blender, or put in a traditional blender to smooth out.
 
In a small sauce pan place .75c of milk and sprinkle 2t of gelatin over. Allow to sit for 4 mins to soften. Then gently warm milk to dissolve gelatin. 
 
Stir warm milk mixture into the yogurt and stir until completely incorporated.
 
To make the cappuccino flavor= in a separate small bowl put a T or 2 of instant espresso powder. Add a few t of water to just melt the powder and create a syrup. Add a small amount to the yogurt mixture and stir thoroughly. Add more until you get the intensity level you prefer. For the vanilla flavor=stir vanilla into the warming milk.
 
Divide panna cotta between serving dishes and allow to set. In my fridge this took an hour.
 
Next make the ganache and allow that to set. Finally make the second batch of panna cotta and top off.
 
Chocolate Ganache
 
5 oz chopped fine dark chocolate
.33c heavy cream
 
In heat proof bowl microwave chocolate for ~1 minute until chocolate is warm and melted. Alternatively melt chocolate over hot water.
 
Stir in cold cream until thoroughly combined. If too think you can warm gently to thin- or add a bit more cream to make a less dense ganache.
 
Spoon over the set cappuccino panna cotta tilting the glass to make sure the chocolate shows on the edges.
 
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Each stage of the panna cotta can be done on different days if you choose. Keep covered and serve chilled.

Pan Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Smoked Cheddar Grits

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As the Fall days progress into increasing darkness and cool air I have a natural tendency to lean toward warmer flavors and comfort foods. The color and texture of foods change, the farmer’s market is filled with deeper richer color and tastes. Whenever I get a whiff of the piney perfume of rosemary it moves me to think of cozy sweaters and turning on stoves. Into the kitchen, to make a comforting culinary cocoon.
Pan chicken is a classic. The floured breast gives up enough juice to create a baseline to make a lemony rosemary sauce. Silky from the thickening flour left on the bottom of the pan, rounded out by a lump of butter- the rosemary is the mid tone with it’s harmonious partner, garlic, and at the top, the bright zing of lemon.
All it needed is a creamy pairing of grits that is laced with some healthy chunks of smoked cheddar. Polenta here would be fine, but to my taste just a tad too corny. The grits are more neutral and I make them to the creamier side. The gooey mush with the earthy tones of the cheddar lend a beautiful base line to this harmony.
 
Smoked Cheddar Grits
 
makes 4 servings
 
3.75 c chicken broth
1c instant grits
healthy pinch of salt
6oz of smoked cheddar cut into small chunks
 
In a medium large heavy saucepan warm the grits to boiling. 
 
While agitating the water add the grits and stir to smoothness and reduce the heat. Cover the pan and allow the grits to swell and thicken for about 8 mins. Stirring occasionally.
 
The grits should not be as thick as oatmeal coming out the pot. They will set as they cool, so if necessary add some additional chicken broth to create a thinner mush.
 
Keep the grits warm while you prepare the chicken.
 
Just before serving toss in the cheese and give it a gentle stir. Let it sit for a minute to melt the cheese. I like to find pockets of melty cheese in my grits so I don’t mix them again after this.
 
Lemon Rosemary Chicken
serves 4
 
4 large chicken breasts-trimmed and pounded to an even thickness
a few T of AP flour seasoned with Salt and Pepper
2T butter
1 clove crushed minced garlic
.5 c white wine
.5 c chicken stock
2T fresh rosemary rough chopped
Juice and grated rind of one good lemon
 
Place the flour mixture on a plate and dredge the chicken on both sides, giving it a healthy coating
 
In a large frying pan melt the butter and add the garlic. Sautee gently for a few minutes to release the flavor of the garlic into the butter taking care not to toast it.
 
Add the chicken and cooking on the first side ~5 minutes- turning once and cooking for another ~3 until done. Please adjust cooking times to your heat level and thickness of breast.
 
Remove the chicken and place on a side plate then cover to keep warm while preparing the sauce.
 
In the pan, over medium high heat, pour in the wine and deglaze the pan. The flour that is left behind will create a thick lumpy sauce. Slowly add the chicken stock while continually stirring the sauce smooth. 
 
Add the rosemary and allow the sauce to gently simmer for a few minutes to cook out the flour and meld the flavors.
 
Right before serving stir in the lemon rind and juice. You can add the chicken back into the pan to coat the chicken with the sauce and make it warmer, or simply spoon the sauce over the breasts. 
 
Be sure to taste the sauce when it is done to balance out the flavors. Feel free to add a bit more butter or seasoning if you feel it needs it.
 
 
 
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To my understanding leftover grits are not to be done, but I wouldn’t let any of it go to waste. The next morning I reheated the grits in a pan with a little milk to bring back the creaminess. To go along with it poached eggs with runny centers were perfection.