Breakfast Strata with Sausage, Belford and Asparagus
This recipe doubles easily; use a 9 by 13-inch baking dish greased with only 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and increase the baking time as directed in step 4.
Serves 6
- 8 slices French bread (1/2 “ thick)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 5 medium shallots, minced (1/2 cup)
- 1 lb Garden’s fresh asparagus
- 8 oz Whey Good Pork bulk sage sausage
- ½ cup medium-dry white wine
- 6 oz Mature Belford cheese, grated (1½ cups)
- 6 large James Ranch eggs
- 1 cup half-and half
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread in single layer on large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning slices over halfway through drying time. (Alternatively, leave slices out overnight to dry.) When cooled, butter slices on one side with 2 tablespoons butter; set aside.
- Fry sausage in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking sausage apart with wooden spoon, until sausage has lost raw color and begins to brown, about 4 minutes; add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 1 minute longer. Add asparagus to skillet, and cook until asparagus is slightly brown about 6 minutes; transfer mixture to medium bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.
- Butter 8-inch square baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon butter; arrange half the buttered bread slices, buttered-side up, in single layer in dish. Sprinkle half of mixture, then 1/2 cup grated cheese evenly over bread slices. Arrange remaining bread slices in single layer over cheese; sprinkle remaining mixture and another 1/2 cup cheese evenly over bread. Whisk eggs in medium bowl until combined; whisk in reduced wine, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers; cover surface flush with plastic wrap, weigh down (see note, above), and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover strata and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over surface; bake until both edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of dish, 50 to 55 minutes (or about 60 minutes for doubled recipe). Cool on wire rack 5 minutes; serve.
(Adapted via Cooks Illustrated November 1, 2001)
Sear-Roasted Pork Chops with Balsamic-Fig Sauce
Serves 4
- 4 Whey-Good pork loin or rib chops
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 T. olive oil
Sauce
- 1 cup homemade or low-salt chicken broth
- 3 T. Balsamic vinegar
- ¼ -1/3 cup finely chopped dried figs
- 1-1/2 T. honey
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
- 2 T. unsalted butter, cut into four pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Brine the pork chops for 1-2 hours if desired. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Pat the chops dry with a paper towel. Season both sides generously with salt (less salt if you brined the chops) and pepper.
- Heat a 12-inch, heavy-based, oven-proof, skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, swirl it around the pan. Add the meat, evenly spaced around the pan. Cook without touching for 2-3 minutes. Using tongs, lift a corner of the neat to check that it’s both well browned and easily released from the pan, and flip it over. (If it sticks or isn’t well browned, cook for 1 to 2 minutes more before flipping.) Cook the second side for 1 minute and then transfer the skillet to the oven.
- Roast until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove the pan from the oven using potholders. Remove chops to a plate and let rest, covered with foil, while you make the sauce.
- Still using pot holders (that handle is hot!), pour off any excess fat from the skillet. Return the pan to high heat and add the chicken broth and balsamic vinegar. Cook, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to incorporate and browned bits, until the broth is reduced to about ½ cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in the figs, honey, and thyme and cook until the sauce in reduced by another 1 to 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Add the butter and swirl it into the sauce until it’s completely melted.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately, drizzled over the sear-roasted pork chops.
Baked Ham with Mustard Pineapple Glaze and Pan Sauce
This recipe is for a whole (approx. 16 pound) ham but may be reduced for a half ham. If you cut the recipe all the way in half, you will not quite have enough glaze and sauce to go around. Adjust cooking time as necessary.
- 16 lb. whole Whey-Good Pork ham
Glaze
- 2-3 cups water, chicken stock, or apple cider
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 cup finely chopped canned pineapple or other fruit
- ¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup gingersnaps or dried bread pulsed in a food processor to form crumbs
Sauce
- Chicken stock
- 1 T molasses
- 1T dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2T water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Lay ham fat side up in a sturdy roasting pan. Place ham in the oven and roast until you reach an internal temperature of 130 degrees – about 2-1/2 hours (or 10 minutes per pound). When the ham reaches 130 degrees it is time to apply the glaze.
- Remove the ham from the oven and turn the oven up to 425 degrees. Pour the water, stock, or apple cider into the bottom of the roasting pan to a ½ inch depth. The liquid will catch the melting glaze and prevent it from burning on the bottom of the pan as well as provide the base for a delicious sauce.
- Brush the mustard over the entire top of the ham. In a small bowl, combine the pineapple and sugar and using a large spoon, spread a generous layer over the top of ham pressing down to make it stick. Return ham to oven. After 10 minutes, the sugar should begin to melt. Sprinkle the gingersnap crumbs over the ham. Press on with your hand. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes or until the surface has begun to brown and the ham as reached an internal temperature of about 140 degrees. Remove and let rest on a cutting board for 20 minutes or so.
- Scrape up any baked-on bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the pan juices. Pour this liquid into a 4 cup glass measuring cup. Remove and discard any fat on the surface and add enough chicken stock to bring volume up to 2 cups. Strain these juices into a saucepan and stir in molasses, brown sugar and mustard and bring to a boil. Taste for salt and pepper and thicken with the cornstarch mixture. Serve with sliced ham.
Sautéed Whey-Good Pork Chops with White Wine Pan Sauce
- Serves 4
This is a simple and fast recipe to use in Spring, Summer, Winter or Fall with our Whey-Good pork loin chops. Add a nice rice pilaf and some sautéed snap peas from The Gardens at James Ranch for a delicious meal!
- 4 Whey-Good pork loin or rib chops, patted dry with paper towels
- 1/2 tsp. table salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 Tbl. unsalted butter
- 1 Tbl. vegetable oil
- 2 large shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine or 1/4 cup dry vermouth
- 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock or low-salt canned broth
- 2-3 Tbls. unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
- 1 lemon wedge, small
Instructions
- Season Whey-good pork chops with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10 to 12-inch skillet over a strong medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl skillet occasionally until fat turns nut brown and just begins to smoke.
- Lay pork chops in skillet, bony side facing toward center of skillet; saute until browned on one side, about 1 minute. Turn chops with tongs and saute until browned on other side, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook chops 4 minutes. Turn chops; cover and cook until firm but not hard when pressed with a finger, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chops to a plate; set aside in a warm spot while preparing sauce.
- Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet. Add shallots; sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Add garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine; boil until reduced by half, about 1 minute, scraping skillet with wooden spoon to dislodge brown bits. Pour in stock and accumulated juices from around chops; boil to a thin syrupy texture (about 1/3 cup), 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, scatter butter pieces over sauce; swirl skillet until butter melts and sauce thickens slightly.
- Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over sauce and swirl in. Adjust seasonings. Spoon over chops and serve.
