The Butcher Babe Cookbook

The Butcher Babe Cookbook: Comfort Food Hacked by a Classically Trained Chef by Loreal Gavin brings a delicious collision of down home dishes and classic French cooking in this incredible collection of new comfort food recipes. This Southern belle’s specialty of baking, butchery and bourbon all make for one exciting cookbook.

Root Beer Bites (pork with a sticky sweet root beer glaze), a Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Candied Pecans, and a Crispy Chicken Skin, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich with Tarragon Mayo all look amazing. Other recipes that caught my attention were Cream Corn Stuffed Cornish Hens, Crustacean Corn Cakes and Lemon-Scallion Cream and the best looking Seven Layer Bar I have ever laid eyes on – which I’m going to try to whip up this weekend. 

This book covers a great range of recipes starting with One Pot Wonders (Buttermilk Beef Stronganoff and Buttermilk Biscuits anyone?); making the perfect Hollandaise and Volute; as well as desserts and boozy drinks. I was really pleasantly surprised by the innovative recipes along with twists on the classics – don’t let the title fool you – it’s not all about the meat! Loreal knows her stuff – she made it to spot five in the Next Food Network Star Season 10 and did win Cutthroat Kitchen.

Special thanks to Page Street Publishing for sharing the Boneless Pork Chops with Blackberry Jam with our members today. (I am all about the sweet and savory and imagine this will be made soon.)  Be sure to head over to our contest page to enter for a chance to win one of three copies of this fun and approachable book. 

 

BONELESS PORK CHOPS with BLACKBERRY JAM

This recipe is quick and easy with few ingredients, and the blackberry jam is nice and sweet with a bright acidity-it takes me back to my childhood. In the South, blackberries are everywhere. They are easy to find, easy to pick and even easier to eat. In lots of my neighbors’ backyards, the plants seemed to form a jungle among the honeysuckles. I encourage you to take look at what types of edible plants are all around you. I’m not saying you’ve got to match the foraging style of chef René Redzepi, but you could give it a try.

SERVES 4

4 (½-inch [13-mm]-thick) boneless pork chops
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp (28 g) butter

BLACKBERRY JAM

8 oz (228 g) fresh blackberries
1 tbsp (15 ml) bourbon
½ cup (96 g) sugar
¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Season the pork chops with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Melt the butter on the stovetop over medium heat, then sear the chops 5 minutes on the first side and 4 minutes on the other side. Let the pork chops rest.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the blackberries, bourbon, sugar, lemon juice and salt until the mixture is thick and candy-like, about 15 to 20 minutes. I like how rustic this sauce is. When you use the best ingredients, they get a chance to sing. You don’t have to play the “I didn’t buy quality ingredients” cover-up game. Less is more.

Serve the pork chops hot and covered in the blackberry jam.

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25 Comments

  • sgump  on  July 8, 2017

    My favorite comfort dish (thanks for asking) is probably something as simple as macaroni and cheese.

  • Teruska  on  July 8, 2017

    It completely depends on why the comfort food is on the forefront. What we call chicken gloppers is an amalgamation of matzo ball soup and egg drop soup. Extra fine soup noodles in chicken-flavored broth (My wife is vegetarian.) with marble-sized matzo balls and eggs carefully "swooshed" through to cook. A wee hit of sesame oil and perhaps some grated hard cheese. I feel better already!

  • KarinaFrancis  on  July 9, 2017

    I loved her on Food Network Star!!

  • Katiefayhutson  on  July 9, 2017

    Favorite comfort dish… shepherd's pie or homemade spaghetti and meatballs

  • lgroom  on  July 9, 2017

    A vat of homemade mashed potatoes made with skin-on Yukon golds, garlic, and buttermilk.

  • tarae1204  on  July 9, 2017

    Chicken soup

  • dbielick  on  July 10, 2017

    Mac and cheese

  • matag  on  July 10, 2017

    We are Italian…pasta

  • annmartina  on  July 10, 2017

    Even though I am a Scandinavian from Minnesota, my favorite comfort dish is saag paneer with extra paneer and jasmine rice.

  • lhudson  on  July 11, 2017

    The pork chops look amazing.

  • Siegal  on  July 11, 2017

    My fav comfort food is chicken soup

  • jezpurr  on  July 11, 2017

    My favorite comfort food varies.^_^ It can be burgers and fries, tacos, gyros, fried chicken, a shake, pie, a snickers, and or ice cream. ^_^

  • PennyG  on  July 15, 2017

    Anything with cheese!

  • abihamm  on  July 15, 2017

    Mac and cheese!

  • mph993  on  July 15, 2017

    It depends but here's my top two: Green Chile and Pork Burrito and Chicken Gahree Gai

  • cheftina888  on  July 16, 2017

    the pork chops with the blackberry jam looks delicious – I might make two versions – one the regular way and the other savory

  • RSW  on  July 16, 2017

    Mac and cheese or Pierogies

  • FireRunner2379  on  July 23, 2017

    My favorite comfort food dish is spaghetti and meatballs served with sourdough bread!

  • kitchenclimbers  on  July 27, 2017

    pasta with meat sauce

  • LaurenE  on  July 28, 2017

    Roast chicken with Rosti potatoes

  • ktwalla  on  August 3, 2017

    My favorite comfort food is Bolognese sauce with pasta.

  • love2chow  on  August 9, 2017

    My favorite comfort food is baked macaroni and cheese with crusty cheesy edges.

  • Jenamarie  on  August 9, 2017

    Gotta love a homemade mac and cheese with stewed tomatoes!

  • orchidlady01  on  August 9, 2017

    My favorite comfort food is Potatoes Au Gratin or Scalloped Potatoes.

  • t.t  on  August 13, 2017

    anything with carbs–rice, noodles, etc.

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