The Irish whiskey combined with the sweetness of the maple syrup and the apples encapsulates the flavors of Ireland. A fruity Zinfandel blend goes well with this dish. The recipe first appeared on this blog in October of 2013.
Serves 4
The recipe can be found in The Winning Certificate where Sylvia Medina, a student at Central High joins a teenage gang after her adopted mother's death and is trapped in a life style of violence and hopelessness. Can the school's Literary Club and an image on the computer of her birth mother provide the hope necessary for Sylvia to survive?
Antonio Medina, after his wife's death from cancer tries everything to get Sylvia back on track. However, nothing helps until Rick Podowski and Leti Rios, advisors to the high school Literary Club, get Sylvia involved. Sylvia reluctantly shares some of her poems. Then, as Sylvia becomes more committed, she begins to change and becomes in touch with her feelings.
As Sylvia develops her ties to the Literary Club, she gets more intrigued by the picture of her birth mother and tries to find her. She learns that her mother lives in New York and when members of the Literary Club go to Columbia University to attend a conference and receive an award for their magazine, Sylvia goes along. Instead of going to the conference, she visits her mother.
She finds out that her mother married a very rich man, and she has two stepsons. The stepfather is dead, and the two sons along with her lawyer are trying to get her farm and include it as part of a land trust being used as a means to launder money for the mob. Murder, kidnapping, money laundering, and mob activities are included in this novel.
The recipe can be found in The Winning Certificate where Sylvia Medina, a student at Central High joins a teenage gang after her adopted mother's death and is trapped in a life style of violence and hopelessness. Can the school's Literary Club and an image on the computer of her birth mother provide the hope necessary for Sylvia to survive?
Antonio Medina, after his wife's death from cancer tries everything to get Sylvia back on track. However, nothing helps until Rick Podowski and Leti Rios, advisors to the high school Literary Club, get Sylvia involved. Sylvia reluctantly shares some of her poems. Then, as Sylvia becomes more committed, she begins to change and becomes in touch with her feelings.
As Sylvia develops her ties to the Literary Club, she gets more intrigued by the picture of her birth mother and tries to find her. She learns that her mother lives in New York and when members of the Literary Club go to Columbia University to attend a conference and receive an award for their magazine, Sylvia goes along. Instead of going to the conference, she visits her mother.
She finds out that her mother married a very rich man, and she has two stepsons. The stepfather is dead, and the two sons along with her lawyer are trying to get her farm and include it as part of a land trust being used as a means to launder money for the mob. Murder, kidnapping, money laundering, and mob activities are included in this novel.
Irish Apple Maple Pork Chops
4 6 ounces boneless pork loin chops*
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup good Irish Whiskey or Bourbon
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 apple, washed, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
* Since there are only two of us we cooked three instead of four chops.
* Since there are only two of us we cooked three instead of four chops.
Cook pork chops in a heavy skillet about 10 - 12 minutes on medium heat. Do not over cook the chops. Remove & keep warm. Add oil, garlic, and bourbon to the skillet. Cover and cook over high heat 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth, maple syrup, apple, salt & pepper cooking until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the thyme and cook 1 minute. Serve sauce over the chops.
Burrell School Vineyards And Winery
In 1854, Lyman J. Burrell planted the first grapes in the Santa Cruz Mountains on the winery property and in the 1860's the family donated an acre of land to build a school. Little is know about the original school, which burned in a forest fire in 1889. In 1890 a new school was built that served as a K-8 school through 1954. Currently it serves as the residence of the owners.
The building was abandoned, and the Moultons, Dave, a hardware engineer and his wife Anne, a teacher began to restore the schoolhouse in 1973.
The winery, which occupies the old carriage house, was bonded in 1994. Initial plantings were to Chardonnay and Merlot, with Pinot Noir added in 2002. They also planted Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.
Barrel selection is tailored to each varietal. Long, slow aging from 12 to 18 months in French or American oak barrels produces a superior wine. Bottling follows, with an additional six to twelve months of aging before any wines are released.
In the 2009 Santa Cruz Mountains Commercial Wines Competition Burrell School won silver medals for its Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.