Pan Roasted Duroc Pork Chop

with mushroom pan sauce and creamy smoked cheddar polenta

Serves two

Chops/pan sauce:

2 12-oz. bone-in Duroc pork chops

Canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. your favorite mushrooms, cut into bite size pieces

2 oz. butter, cut into small cubes

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. white wine

2 c. chicken stock

Fresh herbs to taste

Splash of fresh lemon juice

Polenta:

2 c. heavy cream

1 c. chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. polenta or cornmeal

2 oz. smoked cheddar, grated

2 oz. butter, cut into small cubes

Polenta: Combine cream and stock in a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a simmer and whisk in polenta at maximum effort until it starts to thicken. At this point lower the heat as low as it will go and stir continuously until smooth and shiny. (at least 30 minutes.) Stir in smoked cheddar and whisk in the butter a little at a time. When everything is incorporated, adjust seasoning to your liking and serve.

For the chops/sauce: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season chops with salt and pepper and sear on both sides in canola oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the chops to an internal temperature of 145 for medium rare or 150 for medium. Remove the pan and allow the chops to rest on a wire rack, loosely covered with foil, while you build the sauce. Using the same pan, add the butter and mushrooms and sauté over high heat, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. When the mushrooms are browned add the shallot and garlic and sauté a minute more, deglaze the pan with the white wine, being sure to scrape up any delicious bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine is almost cooked away, add the chicken stock and let it simmer, reducing by half. Finish the mushroom sauce with freshly chopped herbs and lemon juice, adjust the seasoning to taste.

Serve the chops over the polenta and pour the mushroom sauce over the chops.

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Café Trio

4558 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64111 • 816-756-3227

www.cafetriokc.com

Overlooking the Country Club Plaza with one of KC’s most impressive outdoor dining spaces, Café Trio has created a remarkable clientele by offering the perfect intersection of great local food, art and music. Comfortable, calming and chic with 11 years of award -winning hospitality and service, Trio offers a casual but elegant atmosphere that includes live music, a great wine list and all the fabulous martinis one might care to enjoy.

Executive Chef Adam Yoder and his culinary team use a cornucopia of local and regional produce and artisan ingredients for a very well curated menu. And if you’re planning a larger event, Trio’s two private dining spaces are just the ticket for the perfect party. Trio serves a weekday business lunch and is open for dinner seven nights a week with one of KC’s very best weekday Happy Hours.

Reservations not required.

Hours:

Sun. 4-9 p.m.

Mon. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Tues.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sat. 5-11 p.m.

Recipe courtesy of Cafe Trio, a member of The Kansas City Originals.