Fall Dinner

Chef Marc Meyer
"Five Points" Restaurant
New York, NY

Menu:
Endive, Radicchio, Blue Cheese
Grana-Battered Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Puree
Caramel Apples

Endive, Radicchio, Blue Cheese Salad

Ingredients:
2 endives, sliced
2 heads of radicchio, sliced
2 apples, unpeeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 lb. Maytag blue cheese, crumbled
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a large salad bowl, mix together the lettuces, apples and crumble blue cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Dress just before serving, toss, and divide on to four salad plates.

Grana-Battered Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Puree

Ingredients:
4 pork chops, thinly pounded
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Grana or Parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs, thinned with 1 tablespoon water
2 cups fine breadcrumbs
1/4 cup olive oil for cooking
2 lbs. sweet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter

Method for the pork chops:
Lay out three plates: one with the cheese, the next with the eggs, and the final with the breadcrumbs. Heat the olive in a skillet large enough to accommodate the pork chops. Season the pork chops liberally with salt and pepper, then dip them in the cheese, then the eggs (allowing any excess to drip off) and finally in the breadcrumbs. Transfer battered pork chops to pan and cook until golden brown, two to three minutes per side.

Method for Sweet Potato Puree:
Roast the sweet potatoes in a 375-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Peel while still warm, transfer to a food processor and puree with the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and puree until incorporated.

Caramel Apples

Ingredients:
4 small apples
2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 unsalted sweet butter
1 cup of heavy cream, warmed, but not boiling

Method: Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until it is golden brown and slightly thickened. Stir in warmed cream, and butter and continue to stir until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
Transfer to a small bowl set in a larger bowl that has been filled with ice. Continue to stir until the mixture is cool but is still liquid. Skewer each of the apples, dip in the caramel sauce, and allow them to set at room temperature on a piece of wax paper.
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