DINNER: Pan Fried Pork Chops in a Mustard Cream Sauce

Was thinking about what I should cook for dinner this Sunday while shopping in Sprouts. When I saw center-cut, boneless pork chops on sale for $1.79 a pound, my decision was made.

They weren't the best marbled pieces of pig but they'd do, as long as I had a good sauce to go with it. For some reason, I was thinking mustard. How about creamy mustard?  Then it hit me, mustard cream sauce would be just the ticket.

So I pulled out the gas grill, which has a convenient side burner, and the Lodge cast iron skillet. Then I set to it...


INGREDIENTS
3 - 1 inch thick center cut pork chops
3 tablespoons kosher salt 
black pepper
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/3 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup half and half
1/3 cup filtered bacon grease (see below) or melted lard
1 tablespoon lard

Let's start off with the brine. We always brine pork chops. It's especially useful for those chops you get in the store that don't have a good deal of marbling.

1/2 cup of water, 2 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt, black pepper, tarragon, and white pepper...dissolved in the water.

Put the chops in a sealable bowl, cover with the brine, seal, and store over night in the refrigerator. 

I cooked some bacon for breakfast.  While this was good for the bacon and eggs we had, I really wanted to capture the leftover pork fat for dinner.

After cooking the bacon, I strained into a very small sauce pan.

I put the chicken broth in the pan and brought to a boil.

Then, I add the mustard. 

I didn't have Dijon on the shelf so I used Philippe's hot mustard instead.

Boil for another 2 minutes. Turn down to a low simmer and reduce for 10-15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the half and half. If the sauce seems thin, add in all-purpose flour...sparingly...just a little bit at a time, stirring.

When the thickness is good, stop and cover the sauce.

Heat the covered part of the gas grill to 300 degrees (F).

On a hot burner, put the skillet with a tablespoon of lard in it.

Put the chops in the very hot skillet (careful not to burn yourself) and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Cook covered in the grill, in the skillet, for 10 minutes. Turn the chops and cook another 10 minutes.

Cover and rest for 10 minutes.

Served with the mustard cream sauce ladled on top.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Nibbling Around the Edges of the San Jaoquin

Thursday night in Lodi is market night. We didn't know that. Without that knowledge, it's hard to find a place to park.

Eventually we do, finding a spot in a parking structure near the train station. This only leaves us three blocks from our dinner destination, the Lodi Beer Company.

Watch the Video!

It is more of a slog than we imagined, just trying to get through the throngs of people only to find a large crowd outside of the restaurant but, what the hell, I'll give it a shot.

It turns out that the people waiting are waiting for an outdoor table. We don't mind eating indoors so we are immediately seated.

A brew each, a burger for me, and the mac 'n cheese Letty's been dying to eat again since our last trip a few years ago for her and Tim.  They pronounce it good but the portion is a little smaller than before and it's just not quite as exquisite as it once was.

Back up to the foothills for another quiet night by the pool, drinking a bottle of wine with a view of the vineyards it came from.

In the morning, we head home via Ione, another historic town.  Letty and I had spent a lovely weekend getaway here years ago at a B and B called the Heirloom Inn. Today, it's strictly a wedding venue and the only lodging option here is the historic (read inaccessible) Hotel Ione.

The Ione Café, across the creek from the old Heirloom Inn, will take care of us this morning with a heaping pile of pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

Afterward, we amble through the sleepy downtown while dozens of cops and their supporters run through the town on a fun run.  They've run from a nearby prison about 5 miles away. They stop here for a water and chat break at the Pizza Factory here before heading back.

Piling back in the van, we make one last stop in the nearby town of Lockeford and buy some of their amazing sausage.

It's so good, I even wait in line on the sidewalk over an hour to get some.

All's well in the end, though, now I have an ice chest full of a year's worth of sausage to take home.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

LUNCH: Egg White and Ham Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Even though I haven't posted any D-Day articles lately, I'm still firmly on the Type II Diabetes train. Here is a very glucose friendly recipe for a quick and filling lunch or dinner.

INGREDIENTS

2 slices whole wheat (or your favorited whole grain) bread
1 slice cheddar cheese
a pinch of shredded cheddar jack blend
1 egg white
1/2 slice Danola low fat, low sodium ham (or something similar...I'm using Trader Joe's healthy ham, which is basically the same thing)
1 pat soft butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat up the oil in an 8" frying pan. Slice up the ham into 1" squares. Spread evenly across the surface of the pan. 

Add the egg white. When it is fully cooked, fold into a bread shaped and size square and remove to a plate.

Thinly coat each side of the bread with butter.  Place the cheese and ham 'n egg on the bread, making a sandwich.

Put in the hot frying pan, cooking for two minutes then flipping over. When the bread is a nice golden brown, you're done.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved.

Another Golden Journey to the Motherlode

It puzzles me sometimes. This is gorgeous country, colorful vineyards roll into the horizon, and it is the most historical part of the state of California.

Still, parts of the Motherlode...California's extremely historic gold mining region...go begging for visitors.  Oh well, we'll enjoy it by ourselves and continue to extol its virtues.

Watch the Video!

This is trip number...well...we've lost count. We've fallen in love with this area and visit it with a somewhat alarming regularity. Someday, that visit will never end and we'll just move up here.

We check in with Ken and Marie, the friendly innkeepers at the Shenandoah Inn in Plymouth. This basic but spic 'n span motel along Highway 49 is our usual base camp for travels up here.  The room is clean, fairly accessible (adapted tub but no roll in showers), and the views out the window and along the pool area are stunning.

The diner, Speed's, at the bottom of the hill is no longer in business. That's a shame because they served one of the two best versions of chicken fried steak I've ever had, along with some superb biscuits and gravy.

Ken says that the owner had health issues and couldn't go on.

On the bright side, that means we can finally try another mom 'n pop diner we've always wanted to try. Down the road in Drytown is the Old Well Motel and Cafe, a very classic roadside inn and diner.

As goldfinches alight on the feeder outside our window, we feast on chicken fried steak, French toast, and eggs.  Not quite what we got at Speed's but still very good.

The owner chats with us, telling us about the historic building in Eureka whose pictures grace the diner's walls.  He also tells us the next door motel has an accessible room but is is now occupied by a long-term tenant.

At it's peak during the Gold Rush, Drytown had thousands of miners, a couple of dozen saloons and brothels, and a church or two.  Now, you'd hardly know it existed, just a few buildings along a bend in the highway...a few antique shops, the motel, this diner, and the last saloon across the street, still packin' 'em in at night.

The county seat is Jackson. The largest town in Amador County has a staggering population of 4,554. It is the big city of the county.

Except for the paved street, Main Street Jackson of 2016 looks a lot like Main Street Jackson of 1860.

Squeezing our van into a public lot next to the Century 21 office, we set off to explore the block. Letty spies a yarn shop and Tim and I wait for her, having two dollar Amberbocks, at The Fargo Club.

The bartender is watching a House Hunters marathon and we're munching on the complementary popcorn with our beers, taking bets on which house the people will choose and criticizing their choices mercilessly.

Our usual pawn shop is going out of business here so we take advantage of their half-price sale. Downtown Jackson seems to go in boom or bust cycles. It has been booming the last few years since the last time we saw a very recession damaged street but it may be time for another down cycle.  We'll see...

A few miles away is my wife's favorite Gold Rush town, Sutter Creek.  While she browses the shops, Tim and I browse the back alleys and corridors, mapping out a wheelchair-accessible route to this ancient boardwalked downtown.

We check in with the Hotel Sutter and are pleasantly surprised to find they have not only an elevator but two fully accessible rooms. That information could come in handy for a future trip.

We continue to the south end of the street where the town's namesake creek flows through.

The water is clear and cool but not as cold as we expect. It's a gloriously sunny day and many of the town's youth are having a blast splashing in the refreshing waters of Sutter Creek.

Letty and Tim find an accessible bridge and meet me on the side of the creek.  It's not quite water-side accessible but close enough that we can splash Tim with some cool drips of water.

On the way back to the motel, we make another stop in Drytown to sample the wares at Drytown Cellars, one of the premiere wineries of the Sierra Foothills.

They'd just had a mishap and spill in the barrel room that they were cleaning up but still nice enough to chat and pour a few tastes.  We also find that they've lowered the prices since we were last here so we reward their patience and their new prices by taking a mixed case home with us.

Back at the Shenandoah Inn, we take advantage of the pool lift to put Tim in the slightly frigid water and swim in the wonderfully empty pool, soaking up the incredible view between sips of soda and wine.

Sandwiches were picked up in Jackson at the Main Street Deli, so we finish off with a picnic dinner poolside on some very delicious sandwiches and a bottle of Drytown's finest.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved
Photos by Letty Musick
Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: Barbecued Pizza and Buttermilk Pancakes

Nothing says summertime like cooking outside. Pizza is a baked item but no one wants to turn on a hot oven in the kitchen during this hot season...especially in our neighborhood where over-100 temps are the norm this time of year.



But pizza is still a great summer food, especially with an ice-cold beer in your hand.  If you have a gas grill with a lid, you've basically got an outdoor oven...perfect for baking.



We'll use that to make our pizza.



For breakfast, we put up our third pancake recipe, this time it's the very classic buttermilk pancake recipe.



Everything you need are at the links below.

BREAKFAST: Buttermilk Pancakes

DINNER: Barbecued Pizza

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

DINNER: Barbecued Pizza

Well, technically, grilled pizza but we're cooking it outside on our gas barbecue grill.

Dough is premade from Trader Joes and so are the canned San Marzano tomatoes (which I substitute for fresh tomatoes in our regular pizza sauce recipe...click on that link).

After rolling the dough and spreading it out on the baking pan, I ladle on and spread the San Marzano tomato sauce evenly on it.

A layer of shredded prosciutto, mozzarella, and Parmesan go next.

Finish with another layer of mozzarella and Italian sausage.

Get the temp on the grill to 400. This is a little hot so we need to turn it down a bit.

Put pan on grate.

Cook covered for ten minutes.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: The Magic of Compounding - Pan Fried Rib Eye Steak with Compound Butter and Chilaquiles con Huevos

Picture by Letty Musick - copyright 2016

We're doing our pan-fried rib eye steaks again on the gas barbecue but the catch this week is adding a bit of compound butter on top to compound the taste.  This is a very easy way to add a deeper level of flavor to the meat.


For Breakfast, it's one of my favorite Mexican specialties, Chilaquiles con Huevos (or tortilla chips and eggs).


Recipes at the links below.

CONDIMENT: Compound Butter

DINNER: Pan-Fried Rib Eye

BREAKFAST: Chilaquiles con Huevos


Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

An Amalgamation of Classics

Sometimes, in my kitchen or even the bar, I'm kind of like a Dr. Frankenstein...mixing different things together to get a hybrid result. Or would that be Dr. Moreau, crossing different species to rush along evolution? Anyway, this dish...very suitable for a sunny, summer day barbecue...is one of those creations

Go to Minnesota and you need to try a Juicy Lucy (or 'Jucy', depending on where you get it). This burger is a specialty here where the cheese is put inside the meat patty before cooking.

Here in Southern California, there's another local chain that has made its mark with the 50~50 burger. This burger features a patty that is half ground beef and half bacon.

Here at the Sunday Sauce blog, we figure why decide between one or the other? We'll make both, hence the 50~50 Juicy Lucy.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 strips cooked bacon, cut into thirds
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Slap ya' Mama
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheese
6 slices of colby jack (or your favorite) cheese

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl (except for the bacon and cheese), cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

I cover a large cutting board with wax paper and do the same with a handy plastic bowl.  Years ago, my cousins gave me a burger press, one of the handiest gadgets I own.  I'll be using that to press out the patties.

I'm doing double burgers with two quarter pound patties.  I put about an eighth of a pound down on the wax-paper covered cutting board and sprinkle a bit of the shredded cheese on it. Another same-size bit of meat goes on top.

I press down with my press as hard as I can. Some meat will squeeze out the bottom. I lift up, put that meat back in the middle and press again.

This is the patty I get as a result.  With my fingers, I press gently all around the patty to spread it out a bit.  I like to have a finished patty that's about an inch wider in diameter than my bun because it will shrink that much in cooking. That way, I'll have perfectly sized patties for the bun.

Put the finished patties on wax paper in the plastic bowl. I'm doing six patties for three double burgers. In the end, I think maybe one patty for each one would have been plenty but make as much or little as you'd like.

Cook over the coals in direct heat for two minutes per side.

Finish with 4-6 minutes on each side over indirect heat, covered, putting cheese on top for the final few minutes.

Garnish  as you would your favorite burger and enjoy. I also put some bacon on ours.


Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved