Ice, Ice Baby

Few things feel as naturally summery as picking a berry off a bush, or a piece of fruit off a tree, and eating it. Fresh fruit off the stem is unequivocally delicious and nutritious, but not accessible to everyone. As well, fruit off the stem enjoys its full nutritional potential, but from the second it's picked it begins losing vitamin content and begins to spoil: This is because the fruit continues to use the (now limited) nutrients within itself to keep its cells alive.

As well, it does so in the face of oxidization (the process that turns avocados brown as soon as their pulp is exposed to the air),which will cause the nutrients to be used more quickly, accelerating spoilage and cell death. This cell death can be mitigated by refrigerating, which slows down the breaking down of nutrients by the piece of fruit. However, it can be most slowed down by blanching and flash freezing, which pauses the process of oxidization. Frozen spinach, when frozen soon after it's picked, only loses about 30% of it's nutritional value, and has a far longer shelf life when frozen: Similar results appear with flash freezing fruit.

There are some criticisms of the flavor and appearance of thawed frozen fruit, which is fair - a frozen peach is not as aesthetically pleasing or immediately bright and tasty as a fresh cut peach. However, the flavour of frozen produce is not bad, sad-tasting, or bland - it's only a bit muted. That flavour can be reconstituted and brought back to life through a few techniques such as:

• seasoning the thawed produce with a bit of acid, salt, spice, and/or sugar,
• Using the produce as a part of something larger, rather than as a showpiece course in the meal (save this for when you can get fresh produce)
• Thawing the produce, cooking off the water, and reducing the fruit until it tastes a bit more intensely like itself.

Blueberries happen to be a fruit that freezes extremely well- they retain their flavour, colour and shape in baking, which makes for the beautiful look of a blueberry pie when cooked with them. They also reduce well when cooked into a sauce, which led us to using them for this savoury dish today.

Finally, we cannot ignore the cost-effectiveness of frozen fruit; Too many of us have experienced buying a pint of raspberries, and finding they have spoiled before we can finish eating them, creating wasted food and, in turn, wasted money from the grocery budget. Freezing eliminates that strain, while making delicious fruit available regularly to those who want it.

How to Make It

Prep the Pork Chops

Using a paper towel, pat the pork chops dry. This is the first step to making a good crust when you sear the chops. Removing the moisture on top of the meat will prevent the salt from melting, allowing it to sink into the meat.

Before seasoning your pork chops, use a knife to score the fat cap. Scoring the fat cap will prevent it from curling upwards, allowing you to get an even sear and render out all of that fatty goodness.

Using salt and pepper, season your pork chops generously, and let them sit in the fridge uncovered for at least 1 hour.

Remove the chops from the fridge and pat dry again with paper towel. The salt should have brought any excess moisture to the surface of the chops. If left on the surface, this excess moisture will begin to steam the meat when exposed to heat, preventing a beautiful golden crust from forming. Once dried, set the pork chops aside for about 30 minutes to allow them to come up to room temperature. This may seem like an extra step, but allowing the pork chops to come to room temperature before searing will make sure they are the same temperature all the way through. This ensures an even cook all the way through the chops.

Sear the Pork Chops

Heat a stainless steel or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. We recommend these because of the high heat tolerance and even heat distribution that comes with them, which is essential when trying to achieve a crust. While it is possible to achieve this with a non-stick pan, it is much easier and more consistent in stainless steel or cast-iron.

Add a neutral oil like canola, grapeseed, or avocado to the pan. These oils have a higher smoke point than oils like olive oil, which is essential when cooking at high temperatures.

Once the oil is hot, add the pork chops to the pan, fat cap down. Sear the fat cap until the fat has rendered out and a crust has formed (about 1 minute).

Once the fat has rendered, lay the chops down on one side and sear until a crust forms, then flip and repeat on the other side. This should take about 2 minutes per side.

Once the crust has formed, reduce the heat to medium-low before adding the butter, rosemary, and garlic. This will prevent the butter from burning. Using a spoon, baste the pork chops until they reach an internal temperature of 135°F (about 5 minutes). Please note that the cook time may change depending on the thickness of the pork chops. Be sure to check the temperature throughout the cooking. Once up to temperature, remove the pork chops from the pan to rest for about 15 minutes. The pork chops should come up to 145°F while resting, ensuring a safe temperature and juicy meat.

Prepare the Sauce

In the same pan, add the shallot and sauté until softened (1 minute).

Add the blueberries and sauté until the juices begin to release (2 minutes) before adding the garlic and sautéing until fragrant (30 seconds).

Add the red wine, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and rosemary to the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by about half.

Spoon the sauce over the pork chops and enjoy! We recommend serving with green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, green salad, or roasted potatoes.