The Classic Tale of Pork and Fruit

Good evening everyone!  With grilling, the possibilities are endless.  It's great to know that cooking some variation of meat with a vegetable (or fruit,) will yield you with tasty end product that has a great smokey flavor to it that you wouldn't normally get with a dish cooked from an oven.  With that, tonight's dish has all those great qualities that you expect from a grilled dish, plus incorporating a new ingredient makes tonight's recipe all that more great.

The Recipe:  Grilled Pork Chops with Nectarines
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, June 2013

What You'll Need:
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Thyme
3 1/2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided
2 Teaspoons minced Garlic
4 (6 ounce) bone-in center-cut Pork Chops
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 ripe Nectarines
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon ground Cumin
1/8 Teaspoon ground Red Pepper
4 Teaspoons Mascarpone Cheese

To start, preheat a grill to medium-high heat.  Once the grill begins to warm up, you can prepare the pork chops.  In a small bowl, combine the thyme, one tablespoon olive oil, and garlic; mix these ingredients until well-combined.  Place the pork chops on a clean plate and rub the oil mixture evenly over the pork chops until they are completely covered in the oil mixture.  Once the pork chops are seasoned, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Once the grill is heated, place the pork chops directly on the grill rack.  Grill the pork chops for three to five minutes on each side, depending on desired degree of doneness and thickness of the chop.  We like to cook our meat until it is well done, with a little hint of pink.  Alternatively, you can cook it until the pork is at a cooked temperature, which is 145 degrees.  Once cooked, transfer the pork chops to a clean plate, cover with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 minutes.

While the pork stands, transfer the nectarines to a clean plate.  Cut these in half and discard the pits.  In a small bowl, combine the sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil, cumin, and red pepper until well mixed.  Rub the sugar mixture evenly over the cut halves of the nectarines.  Immediately transfer over to a grill.  Grill the nectarines for two to three minutes on each side or until tender.  Transfer the nectarines back to a clean plate and let cool.  Once cooled, cut the nectarines in wedges and serve with mascarpone cheese.  Serve the nectarines with the pork chops and enjoy!

The End Result:

The pork tastes great rubbed in olive oil, garlic, and thyme.  It creates a delicious flavor that is only enhanced by the grill.  Letting the pork stand keeps all those juices in the meat and gives it a really juicy texture.  The nectarines were also enhanced by the grill.  You can barely taste the sugar mixture that was rubbed before the grill, but by using the grill, it made the nectarines super tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth quality.  The nectarines also offset the pure power of the garlic and thyme in the pork, so it's a must have when cooking this dish.  

Thanks for joining us tonight.  Check back later this week when Tyler presents a brand new dish.  Until then,

~Cheers!