Mustards Grill Mongolian Pork Chops

As you have probably picked up on by now, The Wife and I tend to be culinary travelers. Meaning, when we travel, we like to seek out local specialties - either a type of food, drink or restaurant that provides a unique experience of what really speaks to the true character of a place. Somewhere that cuts through the "touristy" aspect of places - usually somewhere that precedes a certain place's touristy designation.

We've found amazing destinations like Ralph's on the Park on New Orleans City Park - far away from the debauchery and smells of the French Quarter, or the afterdeck on Louie's Backyard - away from Duval Street in Key West. (Now, I do love the French Quarter and Duval Street, but if you never venture out of either place, you've really missed out.)

While in Napa last week, we found such a place. Mustards Grill is such a place. It's a place the locals have been coming for years. Rumor has it Robert Mondavi had standing lunch reservations every day - same table. If he hadn't arrived by 1:00 they were free to give away his table. If you've seen The Best Thing I Ever Ate, you might recognize Mustards - Bobby Flay mentioned their Mongolian Pork Chop on one episode.

When we find one of these gems, I always like to try and recreate the experience back home - with Conch Fritters, Barbecue Shrimp or what have you. Trader Joe's had frenched double cut pork chops when I stopped in two nights ago and the Mongolian Pork Chop recipe immediately came to mind.  Yesterday morning, I found this recipe and called The Wife to start the marinade.

We didn't have exactly what was needed for the marinade, but made the best of it with what we had in the pantry. I've referenced the recipe I used below, not Cindy Pawcin's original.

I let the chops marinade for about 7 hours. 

Marinade:

1/2 Cup Strawberry Jelly

1/2 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Rice Wine

1/4 Minced Onion

1 Tablespoon Habanero Sauce

1 Tablespoon Ground Ginger

2 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

3/4 Tablespoon Cracked Pepper

2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds

1 Cup Chopped Cilantro

Run all of this through a food processor, and pour over the pork chops - let marinade 3 hours to overnight.

Sauce:

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/8 Cup Mustard Powder

2 Egg Yolks

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

Directions for Sauce:

Combine the sugar and mustard in a glass bowl over a simmering pot ( a home made double boiler) - whisk together. Whisk in egg yolks and vinegar. 

Cook, whisk every 2-3 minutes for about 15 minutes. It will be frothy at first, and about the 10 minute mark will become the consistency of pudding. Continue for another few minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool. 

When the sauce has cooled, stir in your sour cream and refrigerate until needed.

Directions:

It doesn't get much simpler. Normally, I would have done these on the grill, but last time we grilled I used all of the propane, and swore I'd remember to pick some up...

So, I preheated my oven to 400 and heated my trusty cast iron pan on the stove over medium high head, added a couple of swirls of olive oil and seared the chops for 60 seconds on each side.

Place the pan in the oven and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until cooked to your liking.

Serve these over braised cabbage.

Top with the mustard sauce and Enjoy!

They were outstanding. The perfect way to dress up the standard pork chop.