Sage and Brown Butter Soufflé

One of our daughters has a real love of fresh sage. She will go to the garden, pluck a handful of sage and come in with a fragrant bouquet and ask us to make her something. If we can’t fit the sage into our meal, she’ll ask for us to fry it in brown butter and will then eat the crispy, butter-fried leaves as if they were potato chips.

On one occasion Dad responded to her request by pulling out an egg carton and creating a new dish. The result was an airy, sage infused soufflé. A single soufflé was enough to feed our family of 5.


Sage and Brown Butter Soufflé 

The following will fill a 12 inch fry pan. If you wish, you can add slices of pre-cooked chorizo, bacon, or peameal bacon. You can also toss in some vegetables – be careful with water-filled vegetables, like tomatoes, that can add too much moisture.

Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 35 min.
Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter
10 sage leaves, fresh
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
⅛ – ¼ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
½ – 1 cup salsa
6 eggs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

In a 12 inch frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the butter is brown and bubbling.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, add the milk, flour, baking soda, salt, Worcestershire Sauce, salsa, and eggs and whisk to combine. Pour mixture into the pan with the sage and brown butter. If you wish to add any other veggies or pre-cooked sausage or bacon, put them in now. Turn heat to medium low and place a lid over the pan. Continue to cook for 10-12 minutes

Preheat broiler to 400℉. Before placing the pan under the broiler, remove lid and sprinkle liberally with parmesan cheese. Cook, uncovered, until cheese browns and eggs are firm, about 3-5 minutes.

Let site a few minutes to cool, then serve and enjoy while still warm. We “slice” our soufflé in the pan with a plastic flipper and then lift them out of the pan and onto the plates.

Rosemary Maple Pork Chops

This is a pork dish our little ones devour with gusto, asking us for “more meat, please.” Dad created this dish himself for dinner one night, and after a few tweaks, he’s satisfied with the recipe – so are we. Yum!

Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 50 min.
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

3 or 4 bone-in or boneless pork chops
1 tsp sea salt (smoked sea salt, if you have it)
¾ tsp cane sugar
3 Tbsp butter, bacon fat, oil, or a combination of the three
1 tsp dried rosemary
3 – 4 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp flour
½ – 1 cup chicken stock and/or white wine

Mix the sea salt and sugar together and sprinkle on both sides of the pork chops. Place on a wire rack resting over a baking pan and marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and place wire rack and pan into a 250℉ oven for 35 minutes.

With 5 minutes left, melt butter in a large skillet over on medium heat. Add rosemary and stir to combine with melted butter. Sear pork chops until both sides are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add maple syrup and heat until bubbling. Remove pork chops to a cutting board. Add flour to the pan and whisk to blend the flour into the cooking liquid to create a roux. Next, add enough chicken stock (or white wine) to achieve a gravy-like consistency and stir to combine. Scrape off any bits (a.k.a. The Flavour) stuck to the bottom of the pan so it, too, becomes part of the gravy.

Meanwhile, slice the pork chops into thin strips, place in a shallow bowl, or on a serving platter, and pour the gravy over the pork. Alternatively, put the sliced meat back to the pan and stew it for a minute or two prior to placing the pork in a bowl.

Be sure to bring a spoon when you serve the pork chops so you can add more sauce to your plate!