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Community Corner

In Season: Maple Syrup

Explore this month's agricultural bounty from local trees and try my delicious recipe for spiced maple-glazed pork chops with a chorizo, pear and walnut compote.

The maple-sugaring season is in full swing here in northern Westchester.  Many of our local nature preserves are hosting Maple Sugaring events this month where one can participate or observe the interesting process of tapping maple trees and producing syrup from their sap.

I recently attended a demonstration at Westmoreland Sanctuary in Mt. Kisco, with romantic ideas of tapping the trees on my property, producing my own syrup for family and friends.  However, the discovery that it takes approximately 50 gallons of maple sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup quickly squashed that dream. 

I’ll now happily shell out the $25 or so for a quart of Grade A Medium Amber syrup at a local market for this prized sweetener.

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I love the depth of flavor and sweetness maple imparts to baked goods. Besides gracing the pancakes at our house most weekends, maple often finds it’s way into muffins, cakes and even my ice cream. But it can equally be wonderful with meats and savory dishes – it's right at home paired with pork and winter squashes.

Borrowing an idea from Meg Burdick, a local caterer and good friend, to brine pork chops in apple cider and kosher salt, I furthered the flavors to include maple syrup and North African spices of ginger, cardomom and alleppo pepper. Alleppo lends a smokey pepper flavor without a lot of heat. 

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The brining technique is an excellent way to enhance the moistness and flavor of the meat. You need to allow at least 10 hours to brine, and can even prepare the brine up to 2-3 days before cooking.

To accompany the chops, I prepared a sweet and savory compote of maple, Spanish chorizo, toasted walnuts and fresh pear. The smokiness of the chorizo is a fantastic counterpart to the sweetness of the maple and pear. You could serve the chops and compote with a creamy soft polenta or a risotto seasoned only with butter, parmesan, salt, pepper and saffron as I did. 

I also assembled a warm salad of roasted kabocha squash tossed with sautéed wild mushrooms, wilted arugula and champagne vinegar to supplement the meal. Sautéed kale or swiss chard, also in season now, would be a wonderful accompaniment as well. 

Spiced Maple Pork Chops with Chorizo, Walnut and Pear Compote

Serves 8 

For the chops…

8 bone-in chops, preferably local organic pork

8 cups apple cider

1 cup maple syrup

5 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cardomom

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon alleppo pepper, optional 

pinch of cayenne pepper, or 2 pinches if you want more of a kick

In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the chops until well-blended. Place the chops in a large glass baking pan and pour the brining liquid over them to cover. You may need to use 2 baking pans depending on the thickness of your chops. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove chops from the refrigerator 30-40 minutes before cooking. Drain them of the brining liquid and pat dry. You can either grill these or pan roast them. At this time of the year, I pan roast them inside. Preheat the oven to 400. Heat a large sauté pan on medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil. Only add 3 chops to the pan at a time. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes on each side, but check to make sure they are browning rather than getting black. Place on sheet pan and finish all the chops in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with soft polenta or risotto.

 

For the compote…

2 small chorizo links, diced small

2 pears, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 shallot, minced

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup apple cider

2 cups chicken stock or broth

1-2 cups water

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cook the chorizo in a sauté pan over medium heat, just to render some of the fat.  Put aside and remove the rendered fat. Heat the butter and oil in deep-sided sauté pan or a large sauce pan over medium low heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the pears, walnuts and chorizo and cook for 3-4 more minutes.

Turn the heat up to high, wait 1 minute and then add 1 cup of apple cider, the maple syrup, the vinegar and 1 cup of chicken broth. Allow the liquid to reduce by half, around 5-10 minutes. Add 1 more cup of chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Allow the liquid to reduce and thicken, another 10 minutes or so. Turn the heat to low and stir in the parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Keep warm or put aside to reheat later. This can be made 1 day in advance.

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