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"  To all four of the people disappointed not to have a Top Chef University update last week, my apologies. Consider it my spring break. Although instead of being at Se\u00F1or Frogs, I spent most of my off time at a donut placed called Fractured Prune. Anyway, these past two weeks \u2014 at least the small portions I dedicated to bettering myself online \u2014 were spent on pan sauces. Making a pan sauce means scraping all the bits off the bottom of a saucepan, using all the flavorful drippings from whatever meat you cooked to make a sauce to go over it. I decided to make pork chops with apple-dijon sauce. The grocery stores near my place in Brooklyn are a little too dingy to trust with meat, so in true, product-placing Top Chef fashion, I stopped at Whole Foods. No way is it worth paying twice as much for groceries there, but the guy at the meat counter suggested I go with the more flavorful bone-in chop, which kind of made up for it. The Pork Chop: The pork chop itself is pretty easy to make. After seasoning it with salt and pepper, olive oil, and thyme, you just sear for about six minutes on each side in a pan set to high heat. Just be sure to open the window. I didn&amp;#039;t, and the smoke hung in the air of my living room for a couple of hours. The Apple-Dijon Sauce: Put the cooked chop on a plate to the side. To the pan, add a quarter of an onion, chopped, a minced clove of garlic, and a few sage leaves. Stir a little, scraping all the crud (which, for appeal&amp;#039;s sake, we should probably call flavor) from the bottom of the pan. Then add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a generous squeeze of honey (maybe another tablespoon), and a quarter of a green apple, sliced. Wait about thirty seconds, then add a cup of apple juice. After it reduces a little, whisk in two tablespoons of cold butter until melted. I&amp;#039;m not sure why it has to be cold, but Spike said so, repeatedly, so it must be important. Drizzle over the cooked pork chop and serve. (For Extra Credit) The Balsamic Vinaigrette: Because I already had most of the ingredients (and to make up for not cooking last week), I also made a warm balsamic vinaigrette. The basic ratio of oil to vinegar in these things is 3:1. But mine didn&amp;#039;t have as much flavor as I wanted, and that was at 2:1, so next time I&amp;#039;d probably use even less oil. Over medium heat, warm up half an onion, chopped. Add a crushed clove of garlic and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar. Bring to a simmer, add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a few sprigs of thyme, two teaspoons of honey, and some salt and pepper. Then drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil as you stir. Pour it over mixed greens and you&amp;#039;re ready to go. One thing, though: Don&amp;#039;t use a bowl for the salad like I did. According to this week&amp;#039;s episode of Top Chef, you should always use a plate. And if you ever see a Fractured Prune, definitely stop in. Donuts cooked to order are a wonderful thing. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/food/a8066/top-chef-university-pork-chop-072310/>