I've long been an admirer of both Julia Child and Jacques Pepin so naturally I just had to own Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, the companion cookbook to their television series of the same name. I was glad to get the chance to put it into use last night.
Julia's Special Spice Blend
Spices to add in equal amounts (1 tsp or 1 TBSP): ground bay leaf, cloves, mace, nutmeg, paprika, thyme
Spices to add in equal amounts (1/2 tsp or 1/2 TBSP): allspice, cinnamon, savory
Spice in double amount (2 tsp or 2 TSBP): ground white pepper
I didn't happen to have either the bay leaf or savory on hand, but it came out very well in any case, and I made more than enough to use it again.
Julia's Sauteed Pork Chops
2 center-cut pork chops
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Julia's Special Spice Blend
1/4 cup dry white French vermouth
1/2 cup flavor brown stock
a sprig of fresh savory or thyme or pinch of dried herbs
1 tsp chutney
1 TSBP butter
I used beef stock (Julia has a recipe on page 42, but I didn't have time to do that), and for the pinch of dried herbs tossed in some herbs de provence. I also replaced the chutney with 1 tsp of raspberry jam.
At least 1/2 hour in advance of cooking, trim chops of excess fat. To season the chops: rub lightly with a few drops of vegetable oil, sprinkle with salt, and then rub in the spice blend, using about 1/2 tsp of the mixture in all. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Set the frying pan over moderately high heat and film the bottom with oil. Pat chops dry and saute until brown - about 4 minutes per side. Pour the vermouth and stock into the pan, add herbs, cover and adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer. Cook about 5 minutes, turn chops, and cook another five minutes. Remove chops to side dish and boil down the pan juices until syrupy. Add chutney, simmer a moment, and then return chops to pan for basting. Remove pan from heat, plate the chops. Swirl butter into sauce, pour over chops, and serve.
Posted by Jennifer at July 31, 2003 5:20 PMYou know, I'd expected this to be good, since it was a Julia Child recipe and all, but I wasn't anticipating that it would be quite as wonderful as it ended up being. The taste was amazing, and Julia's suggested cooking times resulted in an almost perfectly done chop. Yum.
Posted by: Michael at July 31, 2003 7:36 PMI made these chops more than a year ago and have been looking for the special spice recipe ever since but couldn't find it. I thought I'd try again tonight...there it was.
I love it so thanks very much for posting it.