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A simple, flavorful supper dish that Miss Lewis used to make at the famed Café Nicholson in New York in the 1940’s. Layer pork chops and sugared cranberries in a casserole and bake. The tart berries tenderize the meat and render a delicious sauce. It’s a good way to prepare chicken too. You will be surprised at how something so simple can taste so good!
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 pork chops cut from the loin, ½ inch thick, brined for two hours
(see note on brining at end of recipe)
4 tablespoons Canola oil or unsalted butter, or a mixture of both
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
¾ cup granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse and dry the pork chops with paper towels. Heat the oil or butter in a heavy sauté pan until quite hot. Brown the pork chops on each side.
Remove from the pan, and season well on each side with salt and pepper.
Put a third of the cranberries in the bottom of a small baking dish that will hold the pork chops in two layers. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the sugar over the cranberries. Lay two of the pork chops side by side on top of the cranberries. Top with half the remaining cranberries, and sprinkle another ¼ cup of sugar over all. Top with the two remaining pork chops, the same as before, and the remaining cranberries and sugar. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the cranberries, and a piece of foil directly on top of the parchment. Cover the dish with a tight fitting lid, or wrap with a double thickness of foil to seal tightly.
Bake in the preheated oven for about I hour, until pork chops are tender. Taste the cooked cranberries carefully, and add a little salt and black pepper if needed. Serve the pork chops hot with the cranberry sauce spooned over.
Brining the pork.
Brining poultry or pork—that is, soaking it in a saltwater solution before cooking—serves a twofold purpose: it helps the flesh retain moisture and seasons it all the way through.
To make the brine, stir kosher salt into cold water until dissolved, in the proportion of ¼ cup salt to I quart water. Don’t use table salt in this formula, it will be too salty. Mix enough brine to cover the meat completely in a non-reactive bowl or pot. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
