Mascarpone Stuffed Pork Chops with a Port Wine Sauce

Me: First time making it. Easy peasy. Maybe a little too much pepper in the port wine sauce. More or less just like Mom's. Really nothing to it. Delicious but expensive for how little work there is to it. Should have used toothpicks to hold the stuffing inside.

Bob: Arg, too much pepper!

Tab: Amazing.

Zelda the Princess: I literally licked the port wine sauce from the bottom of the pan and was appeased. The mortals will live a day longer and I'm beginning to like the fat one.

Ingredients:

Stuffing:

• 8 oz. mascarpone
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 6 oz pancetta, or bacon, chopped (after cooking)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp. thyme, minced
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup chives, diced

Emeril's ESSENCE:

• 2½ Tbl. paprika
• 2 Tbl. salt
• 2 Tbl. garlic powder
• 1 Tbl. cracked black pepper
• 1 Tbl. onion powder
• 1 Tbl. cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbl. dried oregano
• 1 Tbl. dried thyme

Port Wine Sauce:

• 750ml Tawny Port Wine
• 1 Tbl. butter
• ½ cup shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. thyme, minced
• Roux
• Butter
• Flour
• Balsamic vinegar (optional)
• Chicken stock (optional)

• (4 to 5) - Thick-cut Pork Chops. NOTE: These are best to purchase from a butcher, and if you do so you may request that they cut a pocket inside of them which will make this recipe all the easier. If you purchase these without a pocket then you will have to make one yourself. 
• Olive oil

Notes:

There is really nothing to this recipe. You're going to fry some bacon, caramelize some onions, and then mix them into a stuffing. The Port Wine sauce takes quite a while to completely reduce, at least 30-45 minutes. The recipe serves very well with a Spinach Salad and a good bottle of wine! 

"Caramelizing onions (for the stuffing) takes awhile, so I'll start by frying my bacon. Once that's cooking I'm going to brown the shallots and then begin reducing the wine, because that takes awhile, too. Then I'm free to mix the ESSENCE together, sear the pork chops and then stuff them once they're cool. Toothpicks or kitchen string will make sure the stuffing doesn't run. I can throw these in the oven and bake them whenever the sauce is ready. This is easy." - Game Planning

Technique:

 

Stuffing: 

1. Preheat skillet and place bacon fat side down, allowing to brown.
2. Cook bacon until crispy on medium high heat. Remove to paper towel.
3. Add diced onion to bacon fat and allow to caramelize. Add thyme and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Chop bacon and add to onions. Stir until even and remove from heat.
5. Place a colander over a plate and dump contents of skillet into colander. Allow oil to drain.
6. Once oil has drained transfer mixture to a large bowl and add mascarpone cheese and chives, stirring until mixture is evenly blended. 

 

Pork Chops: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix ESSENCE spices together in a small bowl and blend completely. 
3. Evenly apply ESSENCE to both sides of the pork chops, pressing spices in gently.
4. Preheat skillet to medium high heat.
5. When hot lightly coat bottom of pan with olive oil and then sear pork chops until golden on both sides. NOTE: You are not cooking the pork chops when you sear them, you are just giving the outside a nice brown crust. They will be cooked fully when they are baked in the oven.
6. Once cool, stuff pork chops. Yes, use your hands. NOTE: You must, must make sure that the pocket has been cut before you sear or you will not be able to stuff them!
7. (optional) Use toothpicks to close stuffing pocket, or kitchen string.
8. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Port Wine Sauce:

1. Preheat pan to medium heat.
2. Add butter and allow to melt completely.
3. Add shallots, stirring frequently, and increasing temperature slightly and allowing to gently brown. Salt and pepper gently to taste.
4. Add garlic. 
5. Continue to stir until garlic is lightly golden.
6. Increase temperature, stirring constantly.
7. Add entire bottle of  port wine. Bring to boil. Add thyme.
8. Reduce temperature and allow to reduce for minimum of 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
9. Bring up to boil and begin to slowly add the roux, while stirring aggressively. There is no need to add too much, too quickly. Add a little, allow it to cook in, continue to stir and then add more if necessary. Sauce should coat the back of the spoon.
10. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 
11. Spoon on top of pork chops when they are hot out of the oven.

Roux:

1. Bring chicken stock to boil. A cup should do. If you use too much it will go to waste, but we aren't using measurements here. Traditionally a roux is simply flour and butter, but here I prefer to add chicken stock. Bring it boil. Yes, you need to use a separate pan.
2. Add 2 Tbl. butter. You may have to add more. Allow to melt.
3. Begin to slowly add flour, stirring it in aggressively. If you add too much, you will need more butter, or more chicken stock. If you don't add enough, it will not be thick enough.
4. Add just a skosh of Balsamic vinegar. Seriously, just a little spoonful. 
5. Cook on medium high and stir constantly allowing to thicken, then reduce and remove from heat.

Want to see more? Check out the imgur album!

How to Use a Knife

In the beginning this is going to be your biggest challenge in the kitchen. Knives are dangerous, you can and will cut yourself if you cook often. Burns, too.

There are a variety of cooking gloves and other assortments that are designed to make this step in the adventure safer. While most sources might suggest using these products, I would not.

Over time a knife will feel second nature in your hand. It is large but easily controlled. You will hold it delicately, but firmly. They are feminine and elegant, and when it's in your hand you're about to do some serious business in the kitchen. For many recipes, the vast bulk of the work will be accomplished like this, with a knife in your hand. If you are cooking a large recipe, such as a Bolognese, you will be spending three to four hours chopping, dicing, and mincing.

The alpha and the omega for knife safety is being very careful of the fingers on your free hand. If you hold a knife properly then the hand that is holding it should never be at risk.

Maintaining a constant vigilance for the fingers on your other hand and ensuring that they are never under the blade, or in the path of a slice is easiest if you learn how to handle a knife properly.

If you're worried about your fingers get a glove. I find that they reduce my sensitivity to the blade, and as a result worry that I might injure myself more easily by wearing one.

Never apply force downward unless you have a firm grip with your free hand. If you look at the picture above you see the end of an onion. As this final piece gets smaller and smaller it will become harder and harder to hold upright, and you will have to put your knife closer and closer to your fingers to keep any amount of control.

Are you trying to force control over the knife?

That's how accidents happen. It isn't important to slice an onion perfectly. Lay that last piece down and just "run the knife" back and forth and chop it into little bits. What's that? You want the onions in narrow strips? No problem, then just run the knife across it once and cut it down into thin little strips.

Using a knife is more about function than about style when it comes to safety.

Notice how the tips of the fingers are curled slightly in? The knuckles act as a barrier. When the hand is "feeding" the knife they touch the blade and prevent the fingers from getting underneath the blade. Your other hand is holding the knife and moving down, "rolling" the blade down onto the cutting board.

 

Notice how the knife is being brought up and not down. If too much force is used and the knife breaks through the skin of the apple then where will it go? Nowhere. Into the empty space in front of the chest. See how the blade is facing if that happens? You have a lot of control. If you were going down and that same thing happened look at what could happen: Fingertips are suddenly in the way of the business end of the knife. If not those, then your knee, or a person in front of you. It's much easier to bring a knife down then it is to bring it up. This is a much more controlled cut than moving the blade down. Just be careful of that thumb!

See? Nice smooth downward motion, cutting the onion into manageable slices and keeping them uniform.

Then one more time, cutting the onion down into nice uniform pieces. Remember if whatever you're cutting starts to fall apart then do not risk cutting yourself just to save a little time.

Keep your free hand clear and use it to guide the blade. "Run the knife" through several times until whatever you're cutting is chopped finely enough.

Different recipes will call for different cutting styles. If you are uncomfortable with something you're doing then either ask for help or Google for a picture/video! Don't be afraid of the knife. Just relax and work carefully. There's no gold medal for getting done with your prep early, and if you're that worried about finishing your recipe on time then consider how dinner is going to be served if you're in the emergency room.