Recently I had some beautiful pork chops that I picked up at Perrotti’s Quality Meats in Cranford, NJ. I came across a recipe from Ali Slagle in the NYT Cooking app for Skillet Pork Chops and Apples with Miso Caramel. Doesn’t that sound delicious? I had a difficult time finding white miso, but was able to locate a small five-ounce patch at my local Trader Joe’s. Beside the pork chops, you’ll need light brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, white miso, salt, black pepper, a neutral oil and a Granny Smith or other tart apple. As a bonus, this is a 30-minute recipe, perfect for a weeknight family meal.
The recipe starts by seasoning the pork with salt and a generous amount of pepper (this aides in balancing the sweetness of the caramel). For the caramel sauce you’ll need, water, brown sugar, vinegar and miso; set this aside.
Cooking begins by browning the pork chops in a skillet with the oil. Turn every two minutes until the chops have reached 135° at their thickest part, remove to a plate.
Your apples are sliced into 1/4-inch thickness and are cooked in the skillet for 2 to 4 minutes, or until browned. The brown sugar mixture is poured over the apples and stirred until thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and add the pork chops and any accumulated juice to the skillet; coat the pork chops with the sauce and serve.
Wow, what a fabulous meal. You would think the sauce would be sweet, however, with the tartness of the apples and generously seasoning the pork with the pepper, the dish had a nice complexity and balance of flavors. The sauce was luxurious over the chops and the apples still had a bit of crunch to them.
A new neighbor moved in next door to us and I wanted to welcome her to the block. I’ve had a recipe for Cranberry-Orange Nut Scones from “Garden Plate Magazine,” that is no longer published. For the recipe you’ll need granulated sugar, orange juice, fresh or dried cranberries, all-purpose flour, baking powder, orange zest (from one large navel orange), kosher salt, unsalted butter, chopped walnuts and half and half (could substitute skim milk, fat-free half and half or low-fat buttermilk). For the glaze you’ll need granulated sugar and orange juice. I used dried cranberries for this recipe and omitted the nuts, just in case my neighbor had a nut allergy.
Place your cranberries in a small bowl. Heat a 1/4 cup of orange juice in a small pot until bubbles form around the edge. Pour the warmed juice over the cranberries, toss and set aside to cool. The dry ingredients are placed in a bowl and whisked together. I might suggest adding the granulated sugar and orange zest first, then mixing those together for a stronger orange flavor in your scones. Using your fingertips, add the butter until you have a shaggy mixture. I used my food processor for this step and pulsed the butter in then placed in a mixing bowl. Drain the cranberries of their juice and add to the flour mixture. Add just enough half and half until the dough just comes together in a clump. The dough is shaped into a ball and divided in half. Each half is shaped into a 6-inch diameter circle and cut into wedges. The scones are placed on a baking sheet, brushed with the glaze and baked for approximately 18 minutes or until golden.
The aroma in the kitchen was heavenly. Unfortunately, as they were a gift, I didn’t try any. However, my neighbor’s eyes lit up at the mention of what I brought and in her thank you note she mentioned that she enjoyed them.
I had some leftover cream cheese frosting after making my granddaughters a few red velvet pancakes. I was thinking of what else I could make to use up the frosting; that’s when I found Carrot Cake Cookies. I looked at several recipes, but wanted to find something that closely resembled my own carrot cake recipe. I found it on the website “Sugar, Spun, Run” by Sam Merritt. Her recipe came close to mine with the exception of a few ingredients. Think of this cookie as an oatmeal cookie with the addition of shredded carrots. The recipe also needs, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, old-fashioned oats, chopped walnuts (or pecans) and raisins (optional).
After making these cookies and eating one, my husband compared it to a slice of carrot cake, but in cookie form. The flavor was on par with my recipe as they were moist, with a hint of cinnamon. Ms. Merritt’s cream cheese frosting was similar to mine, but she added some cornstarch which helps the frosting to maintain its shape. I shared some with our neighbor’s whose husband loves carrot cake. “Jeff can’t get over the cookies! He’s in heaven 😊!lol”
Skillet Pork Chops and Apples with Miso Caramel
By Ali Slagle
The New York Times/NYT Cooking
September 3, 2025
Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1½ tablespoons white miso
2 (1- to 1½-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops, patted very dry
Salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as grapeseed or canola)
2 small or 1 large Granny Smith or other tart-crisp apples, cored then sliced ¼ inch thick
Preparation
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons water with the brown sugar, vinegar and miso; stir with a fork until smooth. Season the pork chops all over with salt, then the pepper. (Don’t skimp on the pepper; it’s an important element to balance the caramel.)
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Add the oil and the pork chops to the skillet. Cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until browned on the outside and the internal temperature in the thickest part is around 135 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes depending on thickness of pork chops. If your chops have a fat cap, using tongs, stack both chops on top of each other, then grab both chops together and hold upright to sear the fat caps until crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate to rest for 5 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
- Add the apples to the skillet in a single layer and heat over medium. (Snack on any that don’t fit.) Cook without touching until browned underneath, 2 to 4 minutes. If the pan is smoking at any point, reduce heat. Pour in the brown sugar mixture and cook, scraping up browned bits and stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 1 to 3 minutes. (Keep your eye on the sauce toward the end so it doesn’t burn.)
- Turn off the heat, add the pork chops and their juices back to the skillet and turn to coat in the caramel. Serve the pork chops with a spoonful of the apples and caramel.
Cranberry-Orange Nut Scones
Recipe by Jennifer Wickes
From the former website gardenandplate.com
October/November 2006
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup, plus 1 tablespoon orange juice
1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into small cubes
½ cup walnuts, chopped
½ cup half and half – chilled (low fat substitutions: skim milk, fat-free half and half or low-fat buttermilk)
· Position rack in top third of oven; preheat to 375°
· Line baking sheet with parchment paper
For the Glaze:
· Whisk 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon orange juice in a bowl, set aside
Scones Preparation
1. Over low heat, in a small pot, gently heat the ¼ cup orange juice until bubbles form around the edge of the pot, turn off heat.
2. Add the cranberries and toss to mix. Cover and allow to completely cool.
3. Sift flour into a large bowl.
4. Whisk in baking powder, orange zest, salt and 1 cup sugar into the bowl.
5. Using clean fingertips, add chilled butter by rubbing in until mixture begins to resemble coarse sand.
6. Drain cranberries of any excess juice.
7. Add to the flour mixture with walnuts and toss.
8. Add half and half and gently mix until dough comes together in moist clumps. (if dough is dry, add more half and half, one tablespoon at a time.)
9. Gather dough into a ball; divide in half.
10. Press out to a 6-inch diameter (1-inch thick) circle on a floured surface.
11. Cut each round into 6 wedges.
12. Transfer to a baking sheet, brush with glaze.
13. Bake scones until golden and toothpick comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
By Sam Merritt
From the website www.sugarspunrun.com
March 21, 2024
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 42 minutes
Servings: 32 Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, packed
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 ¾ cup (215 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups (295 g) old-fashioned oats
1 cup (120 g) grated/shredded carrots
¾ cup (120 g) chopped walnuts or pecans
½-1 cup (80-160 g) raisins, optional depending on preference
Frosting
¾ cup (170 g) salted butter, softened
12 oz (340 g) cream cheese, softened
4 ½ cups (565 g) powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoons corn starch, (this helps the frosting to maintain its shape – it’s less likely to make a mess your hands this way!)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars and use an electric mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) and beat until creamy, light, and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes).
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter,1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar,½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
3. Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir well. Pause occasionally to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
2 large eggs,2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4. In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
1 ¾ cup (215 g) all-purpose flour,1 teaspoon baking soda,2 teaspoons ground cinnamon,¼ teaspoon nutmeg,½ teaspoon salt
5. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet, pausing periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
6. Stir in oats until completely combined.
3 cups (295 g) old-fashioned oats
7. Add carrots and walnuts/pecans (and raisins, if using).
1 cup (120 g) grated/shredded carrots,¾ cup (120 g) chopped walnuts or pecans,½-1 cup (80-160 g) raisins
8. Drop cookies by 2-Tablespoon-sized scoops (43g) onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, spacing cookies at least 2" (5cm) apart. For more uniform cookies, roll the dough into a smooth ball between your palms (dough is sticky!). Bake 11-12 minutes on 350F (177C). Cookies may appear slightly underbaked at their centers still.
9. Allow cookies to cool completely on baking tray before decorating with icing.
For Frosting
1. Combine butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of stand
mixer fitted with paddle attachment) and beat until smooth and creamy,.
¾ cup (170 g) salted butter,12 oz (340 g) cream cheese
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, about half a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4 ½ cups (565 g) powdered sugar
3. Stir in vanilla extract.
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4. Add corn starch and stir.
1 Tablespoons corn starch
5. Spread frosting onto cookies or transfer frosting into a piping bag fitted with a Ateco 846 tip and pipe on top of cooled cookies.