Stuffed Porkchop with Apple & Brie

February 21, 2018 ChrisB apple, brie, kale, meat, pork, porkchop, stuffed porkchop

There is an old butchers’ saying that goes “People will eat as much steak as they can afford, as much chicken as they can stomach and as much pork as they have to”. The merits of this statement can be argued in todays’ environment however when is the last time you heard anyone say “lets go out for pork”…and bacon does not count. While it may not have the spotlight often, it does today. Let’s stuff some pork!

Have you ever gone out to a restaurant and noticed that bland foods are often featured with some form of stuffing? When it comes to elevating any dish, placing one food inside of another food will undoubtedly produce a more complex flavour profile. Building complexity in a dish can be important, but knowing the reasons why it is done is of more significance to the final product.

The two most common proteins to stuff (other than turkey) are chicken and pork, both are relatively bland cuts of meat. What should we do with a bland cut of meat? Add flavour, and more often than not that flavour comes from fat. Fat comes in many forms. Pan drippings, oils, butter and cheese are all high flat, high flavour friends of mine in the kitchen.

Balancing the profile of any dish is of great importance when you’re trying to do more than just put food on the table. There are many possible categories to reach into for balancing a fat. Some go for sweet, while others reach for a bottle of jarred heat. You can choose savoury options as well. If you really feel up for it, try all three!

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 2lb. butterflied pork loin chop

50g. sliced brie cheese

100g. thinly sliced apple (I used honeycrisp)

1 leaf of kale

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Butcher’s Twine

Directions:

Slice the pork loin down the centre most of the way through, if required.
Destem and chop kale
Slice apple and brie thinly (using unflavoured dental floss can make short work of the brie.)
Place the kale on one half of the butterflied loin chop.
Layer the apple and brie on top of the kale.
Fold the top half of pork over the filling.
(Optional) Tie the pork together with butcher’s twine
Drizzle oil over pork and place on greased baking tray
Bake for 25 min. at 350F. or until an internal temperature of 165 is reached.
Serve.

While it may take a little bit of prep work this stuffed pork loin will not disappoint. Apples go great with pork and the kale gives a hint of bitterness for contrast. Who would ever say no to cheese? If you are looking for an easy way to transform a bland piece of pork, you just found it.