Great glaze--Quick Maple-Glazed Pork Chops

Quick Maple-Glazed Pork Chops
The Best 30-Minute Recipe Copyright 2006

4 boneless pork loin chops, 1 inch thick I used more
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 shallot, minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary I used dried, about 1/2 tsp
¼ teaspoon cayenne Oops! Forgot to add this
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chops well on one side, about 4 minutes. Transfer chops to plate and set aside.
2. Add shallot and ¼ teaspoon salt to fat left in the skillet, return to medium high heat, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, maple syrup, vinegar, rosemary, and cayenne, scraping up any browned bits.
3. Return chops to skillet, browned side up. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and continue to cook until center of chop registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Transfer chops to clean plate, tent with foil, and let rest until center of chop reaches 150 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, return glaze to simmer and cook, uncovered, until darkly colored and thickened, about 7 minutes.
5. Add accumulated pork juices and mustard to glaze. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, on piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour glaze over chops and serve.
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I went to Ollie's with a 15% off coupon last week, thinking how exciting it was going to be to pick out some new cookbooks after not buying any for two months. I almost walked out empty handed. Their stock hadn't turned over much from two months ago. Just as I was about to walk away I spotted this book. I'm not sure that I'll have even 30 minutes to prepare dinner after the baby is born and I head back to work but I can dream.

This is from Cook's Illustrated and while their recipes can be fussy, they rarely disappoint. I was needlessly worried about this recipe since maple syrup can be overpowering but the final result here was a great sauce that had a hint of maple syrup but it was definitely not overpowering. I loved it and I could have eaten the sauce with a spoon. Okay, I did eat some of the sauce with a spoon but there was plenty left for the chops too.

I'm still pretty healthy but one ear closed up last night and the other seems close behind. Hopefully it won't get worse than that. This is the same thing my son had and decogestant got him through it. Unfortunately I can't just fill myself up with drugs willy-nilly right now but if anything is going to make me break down and take something during this pregnancy, a middle-of-the-night earache will do it. There's nothing worse. Well, labor and childbirth but I'm trying not to think about that.

Blast From The Past: Chocolate Sheet Cake from July 2006. That was from the New Best Recipe and it was a very good chocolate cake.

Question of the Day: How much time did you spend preparing dinner last night?