By Lorie Ham
On Mother’s Day, restaurants are full of families taking Mom out to eat for her special day. However, Father’s Day more often seems to include a special meal made at home, especially for Dad. Some foods associated with Father’s Day are pizza, steaks, seafood, chicken wings, or pretty much anything barbecued. While not all dads love the same food, a lot of people associate meaty and hearty meals with Father’s Day.
If you are planning to make something special for dad this year, the website Ahead of Thyme has 60 different recipes great for Father’s Day. Recipes include ones for grilling, slow cooker ribs, and Greek meatballs. The Food Network website also has some great recipes for Father’s Day, including porterhouse steak and maple bacon cheeseburgers! If your dad happens to be vegan, you can find 31 vegan recipes perfect for Father’s Day in this article on Bustle.
For some recipes you might not find elsewhere, food mysteries can be a great source! Many “cozy” mystery authors give their books a food setting where their main character has some connection to food—being a chef, a caterer, owning a food truck, etc., and they include recipes in the back of the books! Mystery author Leslie Karst writes the Sally Solari culinary mystery series and has a great Father’s Day recipe in the first book in her series, Dying for a Taste. “It makes for the perfect Father’s Day meal, as it’s simple and easy to make, yet elegant and wonderfully delicious!” (Her latest book, The Fragrance of Death, releases on Aug. 2, 2022)
Seared Pork Chops with Apricot Brandy Sauce
(serves 4)
This is a classic à la minute hot line dish, where a piece of meat is seared and then the pan it was cooked in is deglazed with liquid to dissolve all those luscious caramelized bits left behind. Once you’ve done all your prep work (chopping, coating meat with spices), it only takes about fifteen minutes to fry the chops and make the sauce.
Ingredients
6 oz. dried apricots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
½ cup brandy
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 thick-cut pork chops, excess fat around edges removed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large red onion, sliced (about 2 cups)
¼ cup beef or chicken stock
4 tablespoons butter
Directions
Place the sliced apricots in a bowl and pour the brandy over to let them soak. The longer they soak the better—two hours minimum, but first thing in the morning or even overnight would be best. Mix the cumin, ginger, black pepper, and salt together in a small bowl and then coat the chops on each side with this dry marinade. Heat a large heavy skillet over med-high heat and then add the oil. Once the oil is shimmering, place the pork chops gently in the pan. (Do not crowd the chops; cook them in separate pans or in two batches if necessary.) Fry until golden brown and then turn. Continue cooking until the chops are done to your liking (Gauguin serves them still a little pink in the center). Remove chops to a large plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Dump the sliced onions into the pork chop skillet and sauté over medium heat in the oil left in the pan, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn. When the onions start to brown, add the apricots (saving the brandy they’ve been soaking in for later) and continue to cook until the apricots start to brown.
Add the brandy and chicken stock to the pan and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the butter and stir into the sauce once melted. Plate up the chops and spoon the onions, apricots, and sauce on top.
For a fun Father’s Day dessert, we reached out to mystery author Dana Mentink, who writes a series featuring an ice cream shop owner! Dad will be thrilled with this recipe for Easy Peasy Banana Ice Cream.
Combine 2 cups of skim milk with 1 small package of instant banana pudding mix. Add one can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 tsp vanilla. Mash one ripe banana and stir it into the milk mixture along with 1 cup of crushed vanilla wafers. Chill for several hours. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn for 35 minutes. Freeze for several more hours to ripen. Enjoy!
Do you have a favorite recipe your family enjoys for Father’s Day? Please share it with us on our Facebook page! Happy Father’s Day and happy cooking!
