Pork Chops with Avant-Garde Applesauce

Who doesn't love pork chops? I mean, when they are done just right they can be so juicy, so flavorful and best of all, pork pairs pretty well with everything. While I have shared some of my various chutney recipes for pork tenderloins, I decided to try to make an avant-garde applesauce (AVA) the other night that would be a lot better than an individual cup of Mott's per diner and really do the thickly cut chops justice.

For starters, the chops need nothing other than to be rinsed and slapped on a grill for about 8-10 minutes each side. Much like with steaks, you want to almost cook them all the way and then let them rest inside under foil for 5 minutes before serving. For the AVA you want to first cut up one granny smith apple into small chunks, then put that into your sauce pan and let it simmer over medium heat with some grape seed oil (you can use olive oil, but it will alter the flavor) and a little apple cider vinegar. Then you want to add some sliced shallots (about 1/4 cup) and 1/2 a small habanero pepper, finely diced. Continue to let this all simmer and then add in about 1 tbsp of brown sugar (brown sugar Splenda for me) and lastly - surprise - pour in some tequila. As usual, you be the judge of how much booze you pour...it will mostly cook off anyway. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let this all meet & greet for about 5 minutes. If the chops aren't ready yet, just keep stirring and if need be, remove from heat.

Spoon the AVA over the chops and enjoy. Served with grilled zucchini and warmed red potatoes. 

- Melissa