tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488334199349972468.post1626758238672896100..comments2024-03-26T19:45:55.033-05:00Comments on Sugar & Spice by Celeste: Pork Chops with Fig SauceCelestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14482871828636237895noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488334199349972468.post-87702440623112360792012-10-29T21:30:44.420-05:002012-10-29T21:30:44.420-05:00This is just the most fabulous compliment to pork ...This is just the most fabulous compliment to pork chops. I made the fig topping on the stove while my hubby grilled the chops. We can't thank you enough for this marvelous recipe as we have 5 fig trees and always need more creative ways to use them.Loriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09969191767621993117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488334199349972468.post-39119185222409200292009-07-30T01:04:26.294-05:002009-07-30T01:04:26.294-05:00Somehow a fig tree self-planted my yard about four...Somehow a fig tree self-planted my yard about four or five years ago and I had no clue what to do with it. In fact, I almost tore it out at a few inches off the ground thinking it was a weed, only to spare it once the beautiful leaves began to emerge. Little did I know this tree would lead to one of the best meals I've ever cooked at home, thanks in no small part to your mouth-watering Pork Chops with Fig Sauce recipe! <br /><br />Earlier this week I ate my first fresh fig off my tree, and decided that their delicious sweetness simply couldn't go to waste. That's when I set out in search of fig recipes, which ultimately led me to Sugar & Spice. Wow. This was one heck of a meal thanks to your precise cooking instructions.<br /><br />Cooking novice though I generally am — I admit I usually leave meal preparation to my ever-loving DH — I even made use of the leftover ingredients. For instance, I reserved the remainder of the chicken broth for a cast iron dutch oven filled with a handful of sliced yukon potatoes and a medium size yam, which I impulsively seasoned with kosher salt, a bit of fresh ground pepper, a dash of diced sweet onions, a tad of fresh, minced garlic and a sprig of fresh rosemary from my herb garden. I topped it off with a splash of tarragon vinegar and olive oil thrown in for good measure and let the potatoes steam and simmer until they were just right (luckily, they didn't become overly mushy or starchy). <br /><br />With a pat of butter, the potatoes formed the perfect complement to the pork with savory fig sauce. Now I've never been much of a cook, and in part that is because recipes usually bore me and I can't, for the life of me, bring myself to stick with them. Experiments are not typically a great success, but they make cooking creative, which is the only time my interest holds. However, I stuck to your recipe as written and I can't think of anything I would change in the least. For me, that's saying something.<br /><br />I used California Merlot for the red wine called for in the recipe, and also served it alongside the meal for a seamless complement. Truthfully, I am pretty ignorant to food/wine combinations. However, I must say the merlot was an absolutely fabulous complement to the meal, unlike any impression I've come away with any other meal wherein wine is served (trendy restaurants and wine snob family members included). I am one of those rare people who does not typically find any reason at all to drink — hence the overall ignorance on this topic — but I absolutely must say I will never serve this meal without the potatoes and the merlot alongside it. It just flows. Call it beginner's luck, but I credit a large part of that to having an excellent recipe to start with. I have dozens of cookbooks on my shelf, many of them out-of-print hand-me downs, and yet somehow my track record is to be disappointed with or screw up a great deal of them. That is why I'm still pinching myself that this meal from start to finish was worthy of a true blue foodie or five-star restaurant.<br /><br />In short, thank you for opening up my culinary horizons. Now that I see the creative possibilities, I will be back to your blog for more inspiration!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488334199349972468.post-55208739659522062532008-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:002008-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00YAY! More fig recipes! This is going to be perfect...YAY! More fig recipes! This is going to be perfect when I get a huge amount from my dad!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com