This is one of those times I was in the supermarket, not sure what to cook and ended up truly “Playing With Food.” I picked up a few of my favorite ingredients: garlic, mushrooms, pork and Brie, and just had fun. I hope you do too.
INGREDIENTS
2 pork chops
2-3 Trumpet mushrooms
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter divided
2 whole heads garlic
6 ounces creamy Brie
1/2 cup half & half or milk
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or a teaspoon dry
METHOD
First roast the garlic. Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400. Cut the tops off both heads of garlic, just down far enough to expose the tops of the cloves. Place them both on a piece of aluminum foil, and drizzle olive oil slowly inside the heads of garlic. Seal the foil across the top and sides, forming a little pouch. Roast for about 30 minutes. Let them cool before handling. I usually turn the head upside down and squeeze 2 sides with tongs. Turn 90 degrees and do it again.
Take the pork chops out of the fridge 15-30 minutes prior to starting the recipe if possible. Season the pork generously with salt & pepper on both sides.
In a deep skillet, add half the olive oil and half the butter and heat it on low.
Slice the mushrooms into slices and salt and pepper them on both sides.
Place them in the skillet, turning midway. This could take 20 minutes or more, depending on how thick you sliced them.
When they’re golden brown on both sides, remove them to a plate.
Let the pan heat up to medium high for a few minutes, and once it’s hot, cook the pork chops for 3-5 minutes/side or until golden (3 minutes for thinner chops and 5 minutes for pork chops up to 1” thick). Once the pork chops are done searing, transfer them to a plate.
Julienne the mushroom slices into strips.
Add the remaining butter, oil, and the garlic cloves to the skillet, mashing the soft cloves with a fork or spatula. Add the mushroom strips.
Add the Brie and half & half, and mix well until the garlic, cheese and cream are well incorporated. Turn the heat down to medium (or medium-low if using cast iron). Add the thyme and mix into the sauce.
Add the pork back in and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up a bit (let the sauce bubble a bit but not furiously boil) and the pork chops are fully cooked through (145F). If you don’t have a good meat thermometer, consider getting one. Keep in mind the pork’s temperature will continue to rise once you stop cooking it, so if it’s close, take it off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Season the sauce with extra salt & pepper as needed and serve over rice, noodles, or in my case, a piece of toasted garlic bread. The sauce and bread together are wonderful.
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