Fresh ruby red cherries or brilliantly ripe red raspberries are perfect for Valentine’s Day in summery Tasmania. Still, notch that up by crafting a luscious savoury sweet cherry brandy sauce or a lemony, peppery raspberry whiskey marmalade sauce to go with those barbecued man-size forequarter pork chops.
Which equally yummy fruity sauce to winsomely pair with those cuts of pork? Let the time you wish to spend in the kitchen decide.
Top that off with an easy-to-toss-up salad bursting with in-season colours refreshingly dressed with orange mustard luxuriating in truffle flavour.
A 14th February al fresco celebratory meal specially with something pleasing for him and her!
Ingredients:
Barbecued Pork Chops
4 large forequarter pork chops
Salt
Crack black pepper
Olive oil
Instructions:
- Once the raw chops are at room temperature, pat them dry. Then with a sharp knife or scissors slit deeply through skin and fat at 1 to 2 cm intervals. This helps fat and skin to cook quicker and better.
- Brush both sides of each chop with oil; seasoning well.
- Barbecue chops to your preferred doneness. Then stand them with their skins on the hot barbecue plate to caramalise and crisp to your liking.
Pro Tip:
For best and quickest caramalised and skin-crisped barbecued chops, apply a blow torch on both meat and skin. Choose a commercial professional grade butane blow torch over the kitchen ones generally used to finish a crème brulee.
Option 1: Cherry Brandy Sauce
280 g fresh cherries, pitted, each sliced into 6
120 ml brandy
120 ml verjuice
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
Instructions:
- In a saucepot, soak sliced cherries in brandy for 30-40 minutes, then bring to a boil.
- Stir in honey, vinegar & ketchup. Add spice and return to boil.
- Simmer to reduce to sauce consistency.
- Remove from heat & puree till smooth.
Option 2: Fuss-Free Cherry Brandy Sauce
10 tbsp cherry jam
180 ml brandy
120 ml verjuice
4-8 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, to taste
5 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
4 tsp Chinese 5 spice
Instructions:
- Stir all ingredients together and bring to a boil.
- Simmer to reduce to sauce consistency. Then puree till smooth.
Option 3: Super Quick Raspberry Whiskey Marmalade Sauce
6 tsp raspberry jam
18 tbsp whiskey marmalade
9 tsp lemon pepper
Instruction:
- Over medium heat, mix all ingredients together to a sauce consistency.
Fresh Summer Salad with Orange Truffled Mustard Dressing
2 large oranges, zested; peel and pith removed; segmented and deseeded; and fleshy remains juiced
0.5 large red capsicum, deseeded and julienned
16 snow peas, topped, tailed and diagonally sliced
14 lettuce leaves, roughly ripped
3 sprigs fresh basil
3 tsp truffled mustard
2 tsp truffled olive oil
2 tsp raw sugar
Pinches of salt, to taste
Instructions:
- To make the dressing, use a stick blender to whisk orange juice, mustard, oil, sugar and salt together till emulsified, with some mustard grains remaining whole.
- Toss orange zest and segments with veg.
- When ready to serve, roughly rip basil leaves to toss through salad; dressing with orange truffled mustard. This keeps basil green and salad fresh.
More Tips:
- When making the sauces, you can swap aged balsamic vinegar with any vinegar by additionally adding something sweet. Similarly, substitute whiskey marmalade with marmalade and whiskey, and lemon pepper with pepper and lemon juice or zest.
- Is there leftover sauce? They go well with ham and turkey. Cherry brandy sauce also works with barbecued beef sausages and smoked duck. Just reheat sauce before serving.