Lori's Chocolate and Nut Crusted Pork

Submitted by Lori 13

"This is GREAT. It uses Emeril's Essence seasoning, but instead of wasting money on pre-made spice mixes I always make them myself. Most of us usually have all the ingredients on hand anyway! The mix is at the beginning. It makes about 1/2 cup. It will keep for about 16 monnths."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 40mins
• Ingredients: 22
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 6 1⁄2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 large poblano chile
• 1 large onion (unpeeled)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large shallots (minced)
• 4 large garlic cloves (minced)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1⁄2 cup good quality dark chocolate (melted)
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1⁄2 cup pumpkin seeds (inside only, chopped, toasted)
• 1⁄2 cup pistachios (chopped, toasted)
• 1⁄2 cup pine nuts (chopped, toasted)
• 2⁄3 cup fresh breadcrumb
• 1 cup good quality dark chocolate (melted)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 (8 ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops

directions

1. Make Essence: Combine the papkria, salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne, thyme and onion powder. Set aside.
2. Heat oven 475.
3. Place the pepper and unpeeled onion directly on the rack. Roast 15-20 minutes or until charred all over. Remove. Enclose in a plastic bag. Let stand 10 minutes.
4. Peel both. Seed and chop.
5. Reduce oven to 375.
6. Heat oil in a saucepan.
7. Add pepper, onion, shallots and garlic. Saute 3 minutes.
8. Season with a pinch of Essence.
9. Add stock. Bring to a boil. Cook over high for 5 minutes.
10. Whisk in the chocolate and cream. Reduce. Simmer 2 minutes.
11. Remove from heat. Check seasoning, if needed add a touch more of Essence.
12. Puree. Return to saucepan. Cover. Set aside.
13. Process the pepitos, pistachios, pine nuts and breadcrumbs until fine. Season with Essence. Place in a shallow bowl.
14. Place chocolate in another bowl.
15. Heat oil in a skillet until very hot.
16. Add pork. Sear 1 minute each side. Let cool.
17. Dredge each in chocolate then nut crumbs to coat.
18. Place on a sprayed rack over a baking sheet.
19. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden and just cooked through.
20. Re-heat sauce. Place on plates. Top with a chop.

Reviews

[DalekChef]

I know some of you might be afraid to try this because of the chocolate but don't be afraid. Chocolate makes a wonderful savory dish and goes great with pork. This was quite wonderful and made a great Valentines dish for my wife and I. The poblano goes great with chocolate and the nut's used were perfect. I had tons of left-over sauce though. But thanks for that because I used it to make enchilades the next day. It wasn't too difficult to make. There were a lot of dirty dishes though but it was well worth it. Oh, thanks for the recipe for Emeril's essence. I've always wondered what was in that stuff. Thanks for the great recipe! I wish that more people would discover the beauty of using chocolate in the meals. It's hard to find a lot of good recipes out there.