Peach-Mustard Glaze

I'm starting to see a pattern here with my bourbon-infused recipes.  I don't even drink bourbon.  I don't even like bourbon (straight).  WE don't drink bourbon, but we have a good friend who does, and he adheres to his own BYOB policy when he comes over.  Then he leaves the rest here.  Then I'm forced, FORCED I tell you, to figure out what to do with it.  As you may know, I try to get out of frying whenever I can.  This peach-mustard glaze helped me escape the fryer.  I am forever indebted.  I decided to grill some peach halves too, for presentation, you know.  Presentation is important!  Now remind me of that next time I go to the grocery store or Wal-Mart COMPLETELY lacking in presentation.

Yield:  1/14 cups



Peach-Mustard BBQ Sauce




3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 cup peach jam or preserves (I used APRICOT)
1 tablespoon bourbon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt



Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and boil until almost completely reduced and the mixture looks like wet sand, about 4 minutes. Whisk in both mustards and the jam or preserves. Simmer, whisking, until jam melts, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bourbon and salt.


Adapted from Food Network Kitchen.

Brown Sugar Bourbon glazed Pork Chops

Fried pork chops are good...anything fried is good...just go to your local fair.  Fried Twinkies, fried Oreos, fried Coca-Cola, fried BUTTER...there's a Bubba Gump's list of what you can fry.  I love to EAT fried foods...but I don't like to FRY foods.  Whatta mess...like cleaning up after any meal isn't ENOUGH work!  I'm always looking for different ways to serve pork chops and chicken so I can fry less, which means clean less...and worry about fat and cholesterol less..examples of when less is a good thing, right?  I just happened to have some bourbon lying around, you know, left over from the Strawberry Bourbon Sauce.

The flavors of bourbon, brown sugar and dijon are a great sweet and tangy combination.  If it weren't for the alcohol, I might have a booth at the fair selling fried Brown Sugar Bourbon Glaze on a stick. You don't need no Twinkies!



Makes 6 servings



Ingredients

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons bourbon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops

Preparation

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish or large zip-top plastic bag; add pork chops. Cover or seal, and chill 30 minutes, turning once.



Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade.



Grill pork, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) about 10 to 12 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 160°, turning once.



Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan, and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Pour over chops before serving.