One boneless pork chop (abt 3/4-1 inch) that I want to bake....

[applecrisp]

Hanging out at home tonight so I thought I would plan my meals for next week.

I want to use a boneless pork chop that's in the freezer (it's 3/4 - 1 inch). I was thinking of baking it. Don't ask me why I want to try my hand of usind a bread coating (kind of like shake and bake -- funny thing, I've never had Shake & Bake).

I just finished up a loaf of store bought whole wheat bread, and I have the ends and one slice left, would that work as bread curmbs? I've only made fresh crumbs from loaves of french bread etc. If you don't think it will work, I'll try something different, since I don't have panko, bread crumbs etc.

How long and at what temp?

Or, feel free to make other suggestions that call for pretty basic pantry ingredients.

I was going to bake up some garnet sweet potato fries (with a squeeze of lime) to go along with it, and a veg.

One other thing, if anyone has a super easy applesauce recipe feel free to post (I don't have a crockpot or food mill). Or maybe some suggestions for a quick saute.

Did I watch an episode of the Brady Bunch in my sleep and not realize it.... what's up with my pork chop and applesauce craving. :D I think I've had that 4 times in my life.

Many thanks.

[Canice]

Caveat: I've never tried this, just thinking what I would do given the info posted.

I would turn the fresh bread into dried breadcrumbs and season with dried thyme, parsley flakes, a little onion salt, pepper - whatever you have on hand and like. Keep the oven warm and fire up a heavy pan and give the chop the flour/egg/breadcrumb treatment. Put a bit of olive oil and butter in the pan and cook the chop for 2 minutes on each side, just to get the crispy crunch on the outside. Then I'd move it to the oven and finish baking for 4 minutes more.

Again, that's just a thought; I'll be interested to read what others come with (ideally, someone who's actually done this ;))

[Terri_A]

What about the Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce? HERE (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1160662) is the recipe.

[Hammster]

Hey apple,
Yeah, toast those ends and that extra piece of bread and then whirl them in the food processor to make some crumbs. Season them as you like. Sage and pork go well together. You can brown and finish as Canice has suggested, or you can just pop it into the oven without the browning step. If you use the browning step, then the oven temp should be ~350 degrees. If you go straight to the oven, the temp should be more like ~400. A single, boneless chop will cook quickly. Likely within 20 minutes or so if you don't use the browning step. You can check the internal temp of the chop and it should be pulled when the internal temp of the chop is 145-150 for a slightly pink chop. Let it rest 5-10 minutes before cutting into it. If the crumbs start to brown up a bit too fast, you can back off the oven temp or even just lightly tent with foil until the meat is ready.

Applesauce:
Dice up whatever kind of apple you want to use (peel if you like, but not necessary). Cook the apple dice in some water, or apple juice for added punch, until the apple pieces are falling apart and most of the water has evaporated. Stir in a bit of brown sugar (if you like) and salt to taste. Cinnamon is a great addition too. You can mash it right in the pan with a potato masher or run it in your food processor too. I use the potato masher method as I like my sauce a bit chunky. Cook a bit more, until the sauce looks pretty dry.
The nice part is, you can make the apple sauce ahead of time and serve it cold, room temp, or just let it sit in the pan and serve it warm from the pan.
I've seen it recommended to add a bit of acid (lemon juice) to the apples to keep them from browning due to oxidation. In my experience they still turn brown. And if you use brown sugar and cinnamon, they'll be brown anyway. I like to use a tart apple and then add the sugar to balance the tartness. Honey works too.

[golden1225]

I adore pork chops and applesauce. That was a standard in my southern home growing up. ;) I love the Brady Bunch, too!
If I only had 1 chop though, I think I'd slice it up and saute with veggies.
(and btw - although I never had Shake 'N Bake growing up, I made it all the time in college. Couldn't get enough of the pork chop kind. I'd still make it now but it's SO addictive - I would want to eat every last piece that I cooked!)
:)

[applecrisp]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I think I will try my hand at baking it. Thanks Hammster for the baking tips. (I know I really should buy a thermometer).

I will make some bread crumbs from my leftover bread and toss with some spices.

I might even try my hand at applesauce.

Thanks everyone -- this board is fantastic, what a wealth of info.