Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops with Apricot Cream Sauce: Snuggly and Warm Blog With Friends

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends themed collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about his partnership is that it's not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may a recipe, sewing tutorial, crocheting, crafts project, book review, and/or technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Snuggly and Warm.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here's a peek at what we all came up with:

I made Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops with Apricot Cream Sauce. 

Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops with Apricot Cream Sauce 

I don't know about you, especially if you live in a warmer climate, but I cook completely differently in the winter than the rest of the year. In the spring, summer and early fall I make lighter meals, often use the grill, frequently make cold meals, and stay away from soups, stews and thick sauces. In the winter my meals tend to be more substantial, may include sauces and need to be both more filling and warming.

Snuggly and warm are a lot of things, especially this time of year, like bundling up in a comfortable throw on the couch, a fire in the fireplace, but after a long day in and out of the freezing cold, it often starts with a hot satisfying meal. Like my Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops with Apricot Cream Sauce.

For this meal there are two parts. I start with coating the pork chops ahead of time. The coating is a light dusting of seasoned flour, a dip in milk, and a dredging in crushed pretzels.

Once coated, I place the pork chops in the fridge. I find that the crust adheres to the chops better when cooking if they are refrigerated for a while before pan frying. I actually did this step hours before cooking.

The second step for the preparation of this meal is to prepare the sauce and then cook the chops. The sauce has few ingredients which I gather together before starting so everything is measured out and ready to go.

I prepare the sauce by whisking the ingredients in a saucepan until thickened.

The pork chops are then pan fried in hot oil in a saute pan, then drained on paper towels.

Serve the Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops topped with the Apricot Cream Sauce.

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares her recipe for Sugar Free Banana Bread French Toast. 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares her DIY Memory Pillow.

Melissa of My Heartfelt Sentiments shares Heart Happy.

Jules of The Bergham Chronicles shares Spreading Warmth.

Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops with Apricot Cream Sauce

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 oz pretzels
2# thin cut, bone in, center cut pork chops (do not use thick cut)
1/2 cup flour
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1/2 cup milk
3 TBSP canola oil

2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
2 tsp apricot jam
1/2 tsp dried chives

Directions:
*Finely grate the pretzels in a food processor until crumbs. Place on a dish.
*Place the 1/2 cup of flour in another dish and mix with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the milk in a bowl.
*Rinse the pork chops and pat dry. Dip them lightly in the flour, then tap to remove any excess flour. Dip fully in the milk, then dredge them in the pretzel crumbs. Place on a dish and refrigerate.
*Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the 2 TBSP flour then add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until the mixture starts to brown. 
*Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and continue to whisk until it thickens. Add the white wine, dried apricots and apricot jam. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Lower the heat, add the chives and keep warm.
*In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat until hot. It's hot enough when, if you add a little of the pretzel crumbs, they sizzle. 
*Carefully add the pork chops, two at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes, gently flip the chops over, reduce the heat slightly and cook the other side for about 3 minutes. The amount of cooking time will depend on the thickness of your pork chops, be sure that they are cooked through with barely a touch of pink in the center.
*Remove to paper towels to drain. Repeat with any remaining chops, adding more oil if necessary.
*Serve the pork chops with the Apricot Cream Sauce drizzled over the top.