Can You Taste Love Tonight?

 Whenever I have watched any of those cooking shows, I've always been confused when the judges say that they can taste the love/passion/desire (or any other emotion)  in the dish that they're eating. How can you taste love? Or passion? Or desire? Are you sure it just isn't just the combination of flavors that come together to create a perfect symphony of delight? (Or something metaphorical like that). Well, after making this dish last night, I could taste a little something extra. Maybe it was the time I took to season everything just right, or let the apples simmer for the perfect amount of time? I don't know. Maybe it was love, or fun, or excitement, but whatever it was, it was delicious!
 

First I cut up a large crisp Fuji apple (my favorite). In a bowl, I mixed together pinches of brown sugar, white granulated sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon and swirled the apples around in that dry mixture of deliciousness so they were coated on all sides. Meanwhile, I heated a pan with a 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Then I threw the apple slices in. What I wanted was for all of the juices to run out and thicken (I think this is called reducing?) and the apples to tenderize and caramelize. All of those things happened. Hallelujah! Eventually, I noticed that the juice was beginning to evaporate too much, so I added about a 1/4 cup of water, turned the heat down to medium/low and covered the pan to let the magic happen, meaning I let the apples simmer for about 30 mins.

Here are the apples simmering. This is the largest lid I have. Classy, huh?

While the apples were simmering, I seasoned the chops. I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, a teeny tiny bit of cinnamon, and finally, cayenne pepper. Surprised? It was a last second decision that I definitely did not regret. I'll tell you why in a minute

Here are the softening apples in the juice. After they were done cooking, I took out the apple slices and thickened the juice with a tiny bit of flour and heat. I poured the rest of the reduction into a bowl, scraping the edges for any dried bits of apple or leftover spice. I was going to put the chops in this pan next, so I didn't want much liquid or chunks leftover.

Before putting the chops into the pan, I dried them on a paper towel, so they would brown properly.

They browned up nicely. 

I let the meat rest for a few moments after plating them. Then I added some apples and some of the juice on top.

After cooking the pork chops, the drippings from the pan were so flavorful! When I mixed a bit of the drippings with the apple reduction, it was like I hit the jackpot! The combination of salty pork and sweet apples, mixed with a tiny bit of cayenne pepper was to die for. The mashed potatoes would have been insulted to have been called a side dish with that combination of juices drizzled on top.

I am so exited to eat the leftovers! I was sure to save myself a perfect lunch-sized portion. 

This is Day One of my Thanksgiving-themed meals. I hope to show you one or two more before T-Day. Tonight I'm making my special pre-Thanksgiving meal. (The one I've never tried before). Tomorrow, my main focus is making an apple pie. It is my first one of the season, so I hope it turns out alright! Thanks for reading my thoughts about food!



P.S. Here's a random side note that has nothing to do with food, but a lot to do with love and happy Thanksgiving-ish- type feelings...Check out this cute video by a band called Real Estate. I was about 45 seconds in when I realized that the band name is Real Estate and that this is not a commercial for a Realtor or home owners insurance... Dog Lovers Enjoy!