Pork Chops with Guinness and Onion Gravy

A couple of weeks ago I was in the mood for a piece of cake. Don't ask me why, I probably only crave cake a couple of times a year, but the craving was strong, and I just had to have it. When I make cake, I generally make my favorite chocolate cake, the rich and delicious Chocolate Stout Cake, with equally rich and delicious chocolate frosting.

I had all of the ingredients on hand, including a large can of Guinness (don't ask me why). The problem was that the cake only called for half of the can and not being a beer drinker, I had no clue what to do with the rest. I cannot abide waste in any form, so started hunting around for recipes, and fell upon this one for pork chops in Guinness gravy. I knew this was fated because I had thawed pork chops the night before.

It's a recipe that I had cut out of a Bon Appetit magazine from 1989 (!!) and am only just getting around to trying (and am kicking myself for not trying it sooner). These are tender and delicious, and the gravy is incredible over a side of mashed potatoes. I only made two chops, but halved the sauce so as to have plenty.

Pork Chops with Guinness and Onion Gravy

8 1-inch thick pork chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Guinness stout

1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon coarse-grained mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Season pork with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shake off excess. Melt butter with 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork in batches and brown well, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate. Set aside.

Dredge onions in flour; shake off excess. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Season with salt. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring once.

 Uncover and cook 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup stout and 3/4 cup stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Return pork to skillet.

 Spoon some of onions over pork. Add enough additional stout and stock to bring liquid halfway up sides of pork. Cover skillet with foil, then lid. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Turn pork over and cook until very tender, about 25 more minutes. Transfer pork and onions to platter using slotted spoon. Deglaze pan juices. Boil juices until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon mustard. Add chopped parsley and 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar. Taste, adding more mustard or vinegar if desired. Pour gravy over pork. Garnish with parsley and serve.

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Guinness Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

This blog post is not about the delicious cake that you see pictured. No, this is about the frosting. I took a bit of a circuitous route to devise this frosting. It started, I suppose, when I relieved my dad of the jar of confectioners' sugar that remained in his pantry. I knew that he would never use it and, with mother gone, there will, sadly, be no more baking in that house. When I poured the sugar into my container, a recipe for cream cheese frosting fell out. It tugged at my heart. Little notes from mother seem to pop up when I least expect them. Finding them makes me happy and sad at the same time. My plan for the day was to make my favorite chocolate cake, Chocolate Stout Cake, and frost it with the same frosting that I always use, but instead, decided to try the recipe that had just appeared before me, making a chocolate version. It seemed like fate. Unfortunately I had no milk.  I did, however, have extra Guinness, so substituted half as much (due to the difference in viscosity) then tossed in some espresso powder for a richer flavor.  Then end result was so good I could have eaten it right from the bowl.  This is easy, no fail, spreads beautifully, amply covers the top and sides of a 9" cake, and got rave reviews from all who tried it.  I'd say it's a keeper. 

Guinness Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons Guinness
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, Guinness, confectioner's sugar, butter, vanilla, cocoa, and espresso powder to a spreadable consistency. Spread onto cooled cake.

This post is linked to:

Be Inspired Friday

Foodie Friday

Sugar and Spice

Sunday Sweeties

Black & Tan Beer-Braised Beef and Onions

The holidays are, thankfully, behind us, and it’s time to press on with the New Year.  Once January hits I start thinking about Super Bowl (even though it’s now been pushed into February – the 3^rd this year --thanks to additional playoff games, and added revenue.  It’s just WRONG! But I digress…)

I discovered this recipe on New Year’s Day about four years ago while rummaging through Gourmet magazines.  Since then, it has become a staple of the Super Bowl buffet.  It’s “make ahead” (two of my favorite words), always delicious, and men love it.

Black & Tan Beer-Braised Beef and Onions

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

3 pounds yellow onions

1 (5-pound) boneless beef chuck roast

3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

2 bay leaves

1 (12-ounce) bottle of Guinness

1 (12-ounce) bottle of Harp

2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1 sprig of fresh thyme

Halve onions lengthwise, then slice lengthwise 1/4 inch thick.

Pat beef dry and season all over with 2 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide 5-to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown beef on all sides, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a plate.

Cook onions with bay leaves and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt with the remaining tablespoon oil in pot, scraping up brown bits from bottom and stirring occasionally, until onions are well browned, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cut a round of parchment paper the diameter of the inside of pot (near the top). Set parchment round aside. (I actually used a Dutch oven for this without the parchment – I’ve done it both ways – and found the results were the same.)

Add beers and vinegar to onions and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add beef, thyme sprig, and meat juices from plate and return to a boil.

Cover with parchment round (if using) and lid and braise in oven until meat is very tender when pierced in several places with a meat fork, about 3 1/2 hours.

Transfer beef to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered, 20 minutes. Slice meat. Skim off fat from sauce and discard thyme and bay leaves.  Reheat if necessary.

Serve braised beef with onions and sauce.*

*As the beef in this recipe improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead (up to 4 days) and chilled in sauce (covered once cool). I refrigerate it at this point.  When I’m ready to serve it, I discard the solidified fat, remove meat from the sauce, slice it, place it in a shallow baking dish, and drizzle it with about a cup of beef stock. I then cover it tightly with foil and heat in a 325°F oven for about 45 minutes. The gelled sauce that remains I reheat in a saucepan, adding just a splash of brandy, and serve it on the side.

This post is linked to: On the Menu Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Try a New Recipe Tuesday, Foodie Friday, and Seasonal Sundays