Quick visit to the Experimental Food Corner.

[rivka]

I usually cook pork chops with broth and quartered red potatoes and roasted red peppers, but today I didn't have any of those ingredients. Nor did I have the usual things I would use to make a pan sauce for sauteed pork chops. Clearly, this called for a trip to the Experimental Food Corner.

After browning the chops and then cooking them in a covered pan over low heat, I removed them to a plate, leaving the drippings. I turned up the heat, deglazed the pan with fresh cranberry-apple cider, and added plenty of dijon mustard as well as some basil, oregano, and black pepper. I whisked it all smooth and let it boil for a minute or two, and then - with some trepidation - served it.

It was really good: sweet and tangy, with a notable cranberry undertone. It worked well with the pork chops, and I think it would also make a good poultry sauce. If only we got cranberry-apple cider in the stores year-round.

Comments

Re:

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Sounds wonderful!

You're welcome to come over for dinner anytime.

Try frozen apple juice mixed with straight cranberry juice. It's a pretty close substitute, and should be just fine for cooking.

But then I'd have apple juice in the house, and I wouldn't know what to do with the rest of it. No, wait - curiousangel says he drinks apple juice. Maybe.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

You can open the can of apple juice, scoop out a couple of spoonsful, reseal it with plastic wrap (or transfer it into a freezer container and keep it in the freezer. Frozen apple juice is pretty useful stuff - you can use it as a sweetener in quick breads and stuff by adjusting the liquid the way you would if you were using honey. Or stir a spoonful or two into pureed squash or sweet potatoes. Or ...

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

Just to be helpful, I'd be willing to drink the apple juice.