Apple Cranberry Pork Chop With A Apple-Brandytini

Apples and brandy…apples and pork. Whether you like them soft and sweet or tangy and tart, nestled under a blanket of pie crust, layered over a pork chop, or one of my favorites, in a Apple-Brandytini, fall is prime season for harvesting, baking, and devouring your share of the abundant apple crop.

My dad used to have apple trees that produced Winesap, which is my favorite variety but I haven’t found those in stores. Honeycrisp is a great alternative. I also like the kind that make my palate pucker, like Granny Smith.

Here’s a savory dish along with my twist on an appletini…And yes there is a full chop underneath all that fruity deliciousness!

Apple Cranberry Pork Chop

Ingredients

1 - 8 to 10 oz 1 inch thick pork chop

1 lemon (1/2 for marinade, ½ for serving)

1 orange (1/2 for marinade, ½ for serving)

1 Honeycrisp apple (you can use Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious or whatever apple you like)

1 medium onion

½ C fresh sage leaves

4 fresh rosemary sprigs

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1/3 C dried cranberries

1 oz brandy

Directions

Place pork chop and next 7 ingredients in a ziplock bag. Mix well and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

Remove pork from bag and put in a baking dish along with half of the fruit marinade mixture. Bake approximately 30 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 to 160 degrees depending on how well done you like your pork chops.

When pork is about 15 minutes from being done, melt butter in a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Add brown sugar cook until dissolved. Toss the rest of the marinade mixture in butter and sugar. Cook about 5 minutes. Throw cranberries in. Stir. Cook another 5 minutes. Pour brandy in, turn heat down to medium low and burn off alcohol and continue cooking until apples are tender.

Combine pork chop mixture in skillet to blend all the flavors. Then transfer to a platter. Garnish with other half of lemon and orange wedges.

Gorgeous platter! With all that color you know it just has to be bursting with flavor! And it goes really well with the following cocktail……

Apple-Brandytini

Ingredients

4 oz Dekuyper Sour Apple Pucker Liqueur

2 oz. vodka

1 C apple juice (I used organic, no sugar added)

1 medium Honeycrisp apple, chopped in bite size cubes

1 oz. brandy

Directions

Place ice in a 16 oz Mason jar or similar vessel. Add first four ingredients, shake. Splash Brandy over the top, stir, and enjoy! This one packs a punch and when the apple nuggets soak up the alcohol, oohh yeah, make sure you eat a little something besides the fruit!