Cheers! Nothing like a good drink on a weekend or a beer after a long day of work (or a few, no one here is judging). This week’s theme is alcohol and I decided to try something new to me…flambéing.



Flambé is a cooking procedure in which alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames.

Let’s just say that was exciting! I’ve definitely have never done that before. So now you might be wondering two things:

Did I burn the place down? What did those bourbon soaked apples (seasoned with dark brown sugar and cinnamon) and sliced onions go on?

Pork chops! I actually decided to try 2 things this time. I also wanted to work on my presentation with food. Usually, I just plop everything on the plate cause it’s just me eating. This time, I wanted to make it look as good as it’s going to taste.



Please let me know how I did!

I wanted to try making this mashed peas side, but could not find my masher, so I went with just regular peas and some butter.

Thick (mine were about 1/2 inch thick) cut pork chops

2 Granny Smith apples (cored and sliced)

1 onion (sliced)

1/2 cup of bourbon

1/2 – 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar (I used 1 cup and thought it was a little too sweet, so I’d tone it down based on how sweet you like your sauce)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

some flour, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder (mix these up)

Lightly coat the chops in the flour mixture. Also coat the apple slices in the sugar and cinnamon mix.

Brown them on a medium-high, I did about 1 minute 30 in the first side, and a minute on the second.

Then finish them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. While this is going on, saute the onions and apples (I did onions first, then added the apples a little later) in the same pan on a lower heat. Then when the chops are nearing the end, add the bourbon and then carefully (I used one of those grill lighters) add a flame to it. Let the fire die down and the sauce should be thickening. I took the chops out of the oven and when the flames were out, I added them on top of the sauce mix to get them coated lightly on the bottom.

Oh, and the drink, I thought about finding a pairing for this, but I was getting hot in the kitchen, I had some cachaça and used some of the apples I had on hand.

Muddled some of the apple

Some simple syrup

1-2 shots of cachaça

Mixed it all up, topped with club soda and poured over ice.

Oh, and no, I did not burn the place down. =p

Side story: Last Friday I had a wonderful dining experience and meal at PushStart Kitchen. Anyone in Atlanta, GA. should check them out. It’s quite the unique dining experience at The Goat Farm! Come on, now you have to be interested.