The Bedford Posts' Pork Chops w/ Grilled Cherries & Wild Mustard Greens

Despite the inclement weather this year, Memorial Day weekend always harkens the launch of grilling season. Chef McMillan, of The Bedford Post in Bedford, NY is no stranger to a fiery hearth, so we've asked him to ring in the season with a recipe from the restaurant.

Chef McMillan recently conducted a series of grilling themed dinners at The Bedford Post and as a locavore, he and his staff have taken to foraging the property for ingredients to use on their menu. Hence the use of Wild Mustard Greens and Nasturtium seen in this recipe for Pork Chops with Grilled Cherries, Wild Mustard Greens, and Nasturtium Leaves. 

Happy Grilling!

Pork Chops with Grilled Cherries, Wild Mustard and Nasurtium

Pork Brine

Ingredients:

water ½ gallon

salt 2/3cup

sugar 1/3cup

onion, sliced ½ ea

fennel seed 1TBS

black pepper 1TBS

coriander seed 1TBS

thyme sprigs 2sprigs

rosemary 1sprig

4 double cut pork chops, on the bone

combine all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil. remove from heat and pour into a nonreactive container. add 3 quarts of ice to cool. this can be made a day in advance and the pork left to brine overnight, or as little as 2 hours. Simply submerge the pork chops in the brine and keep refrigerated until ready to cook.

Grilled Cherries

Ingredients:

cherries, left on pit, with stems 1/2 pound

sea salt pinch

cracked black pepper 1/4tsp

mustard oil 1TBS

extra virgin olive oil 1TBS

aged balsamic ( 12-18yr ) 1TBS

rinse the cherries and pat dry. toss lightly with ½ TBS of the extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and cracked pepper. Grill directly over hot coals until the skins begin to blister and char ( 2-3 minutes ) you can move the cherries around on the grill by picking them up by the stems. remove from grill, toss with remaining olive oil, mustard oil and aged balsamic. set aside until ready to plate

Putting The Dish Together

Ingredients: 

pork chop, double cut, brined and dried, dressed lightly with olive oil 4ea

grilled cherries      ½ pound 

wild mustard ¼ pound

nasturtium leaves (can sub mustard leaves or arugula ) ¼ pound

grill pork chop starting over direct heat, then moving over indirect heat to finish, approx 25 minutes

let rest 5 minutes. place in the center of the plate, top with cherries, garnish with nasturtium leaves, and wild mustard, finish by drizzling the chop and plate with the juices, oil and vinegar left from the cherries.