If you’ve been following this blog, by now you should know I love a themed meal. I also like to get my girls involved in the action, when possible. One, they get excited about food, and always learn something else, even tangentially. Case in point: today is President’s Day. A couple years ago I started with a marquee president’s dish, but then my younger child got older and wanted in on the action as well. So, last year, in an act of diplomacy, I let the girls pick 2 ex-presidents and made a meal. While I can’t remember the Presidents they chose, the meal was a mash-up of their respective picks: Chicken Fricassee Biscuit Sandwiches - it was such a hit, they’ve been reminding me that we need to do this again, as early as last summer! So, not only do they learn some new dishes, but they also did a report on the president they chose. Win-win...chicken fricassee din.
This year, to make it completely random, I threw the numbers 1-46 into a hat and had the girls pick out a piece of paper. My younger daughter picked no. 24 and my older daughter picked no. 4, Grover Cleveland and James Madison, respectively. This challenge isn’t without issues; the further you go back, the harder it is to find a president’s favorite meal (some historian really should delve into this untapped source of culinary exploration). Aside from that, you have to work around each president’s desires and dislikes. I think I’ve come up with a winner.
The primary issue: Madison favored French cuisine while Cleveland would “rather have pickled herring, Swiss cheese and a chop at Louis’” over any fancy French meal. Louis’, from what I can determine, refers to the restaurant of Louis Goetz: Goetz & Laport at 194 Pearl Street in Buffalo, NY (now Erie County Family Court). Some common ground: even though Dolly Madison was known to throw some great parties, President Madison preferred the simple life and a hearty meal (Virginia ham, buttery rolls, apple pie and cider), as opposed to the formal, pomposity of state dinners. Similarly, Cleveland once requested the Corned Beef and Cabbage that his servants were being fed over the offering of the White House’s French chef...the chef did not take it well.
So, working with the fact they both liked pork and hearty, but simple, meals, I decided to marry some French influence over an American tavern-style offering. Below is a recipe for a lovely cider-marinated roasted pork chop, with a side of French stuffed cabbage, buttery dinner rolls and a gruyere tuile - which ends up looking somewhat like a piece of lacey Swiss cheese.
Apple Cider Pork Chops
If you’ve purchased enhanced meat (one that’s pre-packed and/or pre-brined), exclude the salt from the marinade.
Marinade
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 cups apple cider
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
~ 2lbs bone-in, thick cut, pork chops
Rub
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp ground mustard
1 tsp black pepper
Zest from one lemon, freshly grated lemon zest
Pinch cayenne pepper
Other
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
A few fresh sprigs of herbs, such as: thyme, sage, or rosemary
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Stir the syrup and salt into the warm water to help dissolve, then combine with the cider and Worcestershire sauce in a large container or ziplock bag. Submerge the chops in the marinade and set in the fridge for about 4 hours.
Meanwhile, combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well to combine.
Remove the chops from the brine. Pat them dry and carefully slice almost-all-the-way through the fat on the curve of the cops a couple inches apart (this will help prevent the chops from “cupping” during the cook). Apply the rub to both sides of the chops and place on a rack-lined baking sheet and allow to come to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.
Place the chops in the oven for about 40 minutes until they reach ~125 degrees. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Preheat a large skillet, along with the “other” items, over high heat until just smoking. Add in the chops and sear for 3 minutes on the first side and about 2 minutes on the other.
Remove the pan from the heat, and using tongs, stand the chops up to render and brown any remaining fat on the side of the chop. Move the chops to a cutting board or platter and tent loosely with foil to rest for about 10 minutes; then serve.
Cabbage-stuffed Cabbage
Savoy Cabbage
Tomato
2 onions
4 carrots
2 tbsp duck fat
4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
Apple cider vinegar
Bring a dutch oven of salted water to a boil. Cut off about 2-3 inches from the bottom of the cabbage and gently separate the leaves. Boil the 6 most outer leaves for 6 minutes and then shock them in an ice water bath. Once they have cooled, drain and dry them with paper towels.
Boil the remaining leaves all together (you may want to tie up all of the cabbage in cheese cloth to keep it together), ensuring the cabbage submerges. Place the lid on the pot and leave to cook for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, large-dice the tomato, halve and slice the onions ¼-inch thick, and thinly slice the carrots.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Remove the remaining cabbage (discarding the boiling water) and place the leaves in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and gently squeeze the water from the remaining smaller leaves, distributing them in equal amounts among the 6 largest leaves, and placing the squeezed cabbage about 2 inches from the bottom of the large leaves. Roll up the large leaves (around the cabbage stuffing) into compact bundles that fit into your palm.
Melt the duck fat in the now-empty pot over low heat. Stir in the bay leaves, thyme, the diced tomato and half of the onions and carrots. Place the bundles on the bed of vegetables and top with the remaining onions and carrots. Season with salt and pepper and add in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven for 75 minutes.
When serving, place the cabbage bundles on a platter, add a few dashes of vinegar to the vegetable in the pot, stirring to incorporate and spoon atop of the stuffed cabbages.
Honey Milk House Rolls
3/4 cup milk, heated to 115 degrees
3 tbsp tsp honey
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh minced thyme
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, for greasing and brushing
2 tsp fresh minced rosemary
Flaky sea salt
Heat the milk over medium-low heat and remove from the heat when the milk reaches 110 degrees.
Whisk the honey into the warmed milk and pour the mixture into a large stand-mixer bowl and allow the mixture to adjust to 115 degrees. Then, gently whisk in the yeast and let the bowl sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together the flour, kosher salt, and thyme in a medium bowl and set aside.
Once the honey-milk and yeast is foamy, add in the flour/salt mixture, as well as the cubed butter, and stir with a wooden spoon just until it comes together.
Using the dough hook attachment (speed 4), knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly-oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it stand at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, about an hour.
Uncover the bowl and punch down the dough. Cover and let sit until puffed again; approximately 45 minutes.
Portion the dough into 6-8 rounds, and place them into a greased 10″ cast-iron skillet, nestling them side by side. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let it sit until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325. Just before baking, brush the rolls with half of the melted butter and bake until puffy and lightly golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Transfer the skillet to a rack to cool and brush with more melted butter and sprinkle on the rosemary and sea salt.
Let the rolls sit for a few minutes and serve warm.
Gruyere Tuile
1.5 cups finely grated gruyere
Freshly ground black pepper, or ground white pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Grate the cheese and mix with a little black pepper. Place handfuls of the grated cheese into 6 loosely packed rounds on the baking sheet.
Bake on the lower rack for about 3 minutes until melted and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet to solidify the cheese rounds.
Remove carefully with a spatula.
___________________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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