Dijon Parmesan Pork Chops

[Deleted]

I made these tonight with a little added herb I wanted to try thinking it would really work. And I tell you get ready for a perfumed explosion of wholesome goodness in your mouth.


Dijon Parmesan Pork Chops


4-5 boneless pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick

3 Tablespoons canola oil  ( I had the spray type to I liberally sprayed pan and top of prepared chops)
1 and 1/2 cup Italian-Style bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese  ( I used Pecorino-Romano )
1 and 1/2 Tablespoon Herb de Provence ( this is what I added it wasn't in original recipe)
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle canola oil onto a non-stick baking sheet. In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, whisk together eggs and Dijon mustard until completely combined. Double dredge each pork chop by dipping into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumbs, back into the eggs and finishing with the bread crumbs. Place chops onto baking sheet and place into a 350 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes and flip chops over (being careful so that breading doesn't come off). Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. ENJOY!

[kit]

Last night I made a similar dish, but with chicken instead of pork and it was simpler and faster... and delicious.

Wash and dry chicken breast filet(s).

Mix grated Parmesan with mayonnaise, pepper and a sprinkle of oregano. The mayo is salty enough for me so I don't add any extra.

Spread it over the filets so the entire tops and sides are covered.

Sprinkle them generously with Italian bread crumbs.

Put them on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 375 for 15 -20 minutes or until chicken is done and tops are browned.

I don't use a recipe, I just 'eyeball' it. You can also pound the chicken fillets a bit flatter which will shorten the cooking time and it makes more delicious crust on top. Adjust baking time accordingly.

This is really worth a try. (Next time I'm going to add a little Dijon mustard to 'kick it up a notch')

[Deleted]

Kit I will try that especially the part of pounding the chicken.

[Clipper]

We do something similar with chicken Kit. I pound the breast filets thin as one would if making a chicken schnitzel. We have experimented with different variations of a honey Dijon/egg wash mixture and have used it on both chicken AND pork. The one that seems to suit my fancy most is 1/2 cup of Ken's Honey Dijon salad dressing whipped into two eggs. Kathy prepares the breading with plain bread crumbs (not the seasoned variety), a bit of ground savory, some oregano, and a bit of thyme. I don't think she measures it other than by eye. She salts and peppers the filets, dips them in the wash, then the crumbs, back into the wash and finally once more in the crumbs. We have eaten them both fried and baked. I prefer the baking method myself. She bakes them at 350 degrees for 20 or 30 minutes or until golden brown and done.


We will have to try the pork recipe of PB's with just the Dijon mustard and herb mixture. I am not fond of lavender and will probably use the mixture of savory, thyme, and oregano rather than herb de provence. We have a small bottle of store bought dried herb de provence but the only thing I have found that I like it on is a lamb chop or leg of lamb.

We have some boneless pork chops in the freezer. I will have to have Kathy prepare them with PB's recipe.

Kit, do you use mayo in cooking often? I have started using mayo instead of butter when preparing the bread for grilled cheese sandwiches and like the flavor it brings to the sandwich.

[kit]

No Clipper, I don't often use mayonnaise in cooking except for baking as in the chicken recipe above, but I'm definitely going to try using it with grilled cheese sandwiches. It sound great. Thank you for the suggestion.

If I'm going to pound a chicken breast, I cut it horizontally first... like butterflying it except I cut it all the way through. This makes pounding it flat much easier, and you get 2 pieces instead of one. Also when either frying or baking, I use the same rule for chicken as I do for beef or any other meat... "The thinner the meat, the higher the heat". In the case of the chicken recipe I posted above, if I butterflied and pounded the chicken breast I'd bake it at 400-450 degrees so the outside will brown before the inside gets overcooked.

[Clipper]

Kathy may well raise the heat for thinner items such as pounded chicken breasts. That makes sense. I will have to try butterflying the breasts. I just pound the whole boneless breast until it is about 1/2 thick. I usually do the pounding and she does the baking or frying.

The mayo idea on grilled cheese is something I saw here on the computer at one time or another. That is what I am going to have before I go to the bowling alley. I always eat light before I bowl and then I sometimes have a couple of slices of toast and peanut butter and a glass of skim milk before I go to bed.

Another thing I do occasionally when making grilled cheese is to slice sweet onion paper thin and place a few rings of onion on the cheese before putting the top slice of bread on. It melts into the cheese and is delicious. Not a big slab like one might put on a burger. Just a real thin slice.

[kit]

The onion slice in a grilled cheese sandwich is a good idea although I haven't tried it (yet). I often put a couple of thin slices of tomato in the sandwich with a slice of cheese on both sides of it. Hmmm... I wonder if some mayo (Hellmann's of course) INSIDE the sandwich would make it too juicy? I'll have to try it for lunch today.

[Clipper]

Well while you try my suggestion of putting thinly sliced onion in the sandwich, I will be trying your suggestion of putting thinly sliced tomato in mine. We have about a half dozen tomatoes on the kitchen window sill from our raised bed near the back door that need to be eaten before they ripen any further.

They are saying that there may be a frost tonight or some night soon. I picked all the peppers that were big enough to pick while out with the dog this morning, along with two more ripe tomatoes, as well as any green ones that were big enough to be eaten breaded and fried. Surprisingly enough, there was still blossoms on the plants. It is a crazy year for plants blossoming this late into fall. I heaped a hand basket with peppers again. It was so full I could hardly get my hand under the handle to pick it up.

This is the first year that we have enough peppers frozen to actually last us until next summer without having to pay a buck apiece for them at the supermarket. Hopefully I will be able to get the same variety of plants next year from the greenhouse we used this year for the first time.

[kit]

I made the grilled cheese (Swiss slices) with mayo inside and out, with onion and tomato last night... cheese top and bottom It was delicious but a bit on the sloppy and slippery side, so careful balance to keep it level was necessary. But, mmmm good! Next time I'm going to caramelize the onions before assembling the sammich.

[Clipper]

Sounds good. Dishes that are slippery and sloppy are quite often the most appetizing and delectable. One of my favorite slippery and sloppy foods is a meatball or Italian sausage sandwich with peppers, onions, mozzarella, and lots of sauce. If the sauce isn't dripping from your elbow, and the cheese isn't stringing from your chin, you have not used enough.

I once had a grilled cheese sandwich at Panera that had avocado on it. That one didn't want to stay glued together, and I found the texture and taste to be less than great. Not my cup of tea.

[Clipper]

I googled gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and found a plethora of variations and recipes.

We have a restaurant in nearby Johnson City that advertises occasionally on TV features a few gourmet cheese sandwich variations on their menu. After seeing the photos in their ad, I googled their menu. They offer a gourmet tuna melt with housemade line and pole caught tuna salad, cheddar and provolone cheese, toasted cranberry raisin bread $12. They feature a cheddar cheese and pimento grilled cheese with pickled jalepenos, and smoked bacon jam on sourdough bread for 11 dollars. A Mountcastle Sandwich house roasted turkey breast, grilled granny smith apple, Benton’s bacon, melted brie, cranberry mustard, croissant for a mere 13 dollars.

There are so many sandwich options that feature a variety of gourmet imported as well as domestic cheeses that whether you want a simple sandwich with melted Velveeta, or the more exotic gourmet sandwich featuring melted cheeses, there is a place where you can find one, or a recipe to make one at home.

Myself, having seen the tv ads for the gourmet place in Johnson City, and checking out their menu online, I doubt very much that I will be rushing there to pay $13 for a sandwich. Just a bit out of my price range for a quick lunch. gourmetandcompany.com/menus/lunch-menu/

My version of a tuna melt is more aligned with Chicken of the Sea solid white albacore in a can, grilled with a thick slice of Meunster from the cheese case a Krogers. A lot of restaurant menu items sound delicious, but I will not spend the ridiculous prices to try them. We can cook a great dinner for the two of us at home, with leftovers for the price of one plate at some of the restaurants.

[kit]

That's the gimmick... be the first with a new thing and charge a bunch for it. It worked for Whamo when they introduced the Hula Hoop and Frisbee. They were the first and made a bundle before the knock-offs came along. Same with food. Whoever started Buffalo Chicken Wings made a bundle before the idea spread all over the country. A few years ago Chicken Riggis was invented by some restaurant in Utica and people flocked there to have it. Then, the idea spread around Utica, then to Philadelphia, then NYC, and now they're available in one form or another in many cities.

But I agree with you... making things at home in many cases is much better and psychologically more satisfying than getting them in restaurants where you're not sure of what's in the dish.