This recipe was born one day as I breezed through the supermarket on my way home from work. The produce section was filled with gorgeous Red Delicious apples and I just had to have them. I didn’t know what I would make, but they went into my cart along with oranges and a bunch of parsley.

When I got to the meat section they had bone-in pork chops on sale and I knew what I was going to eat. The pork chops made me think of a meal I ate at a German restaurant once.

Apple Chops

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 apples, peeled, cored, cut in wedges

1⁄4 cup Grand Marnier

Half a can of chicken broth

Half a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon orange zest

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

4 11⁄4-inch thick pork chops

Melt butter in oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add apples and saute for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add liqueur and bring to a boil. Add broth, half of your parsley, honey and orange peel. Simmer for five minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare grill, or preheat broiler. Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. If cooking on a grill, cook for six minutes per side. If using a broiler, I like to cook a little longer just to make sure the pink is gone from the inside, say seven minutes per side.

Bring your sauce to a simmer before you pour it over the pork chops. Top sauce with the remaining parsley and serve. I like this dish with potato salad in the summer, or twice-baked potatoes in winter.

One taste of this dish and you’ll be convinced that experimenting with your food can lead to great things.