Cơm tấm is one of Việt Nam’s quintessential street foods. On the streets of almost every major city in the country, you can find cơm tấm vendors shrouded in plumes of smoke as they grill marinated chops on charcoal-fed braziers breathing blister-ing-hot fire. They are true masters of the grill, as the chops are so thin that it takes deft hands to control the heat. It also takes the sharpest of cooking instincts to know precisely when to pull the chops off the flame before they dry out. At home, you can ensure juicy chops every time by first brining the meat for a day or two and then giving them a quick sear in butter. If you want to use thick-cut chops instead, sear them on each side, then place them in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the center reaches 145°F. For plating, we suggest serving the chops with broken rice and a warm slice of chả trứng hấp (steamed pork and wood ear meat loaf).
There are a lot of really excellent jams, marmalades, and preserves made in France, but a jar of gingham-capped Bonne Maman apricot preserves is the ultimate equalizer. You’ll find them everywhere: the corner shop, hotel breakfast buffets, my ex-girlfriend’s grandmother’s kitchen. You’ll also find them at most American grocery stores. Not just for toast, they can and should be used in sweet applications - see (My First) French (Girlfriend’s) Apple Tart - as well as savory.
This recipe for Pineapple Pork from Simple by Jean-François Mallet (no recipe has more than six ingredients) delivers great flavor with just soy sauce, pineapple and fresh cilantro. Pork chops are pan-fried and then finished in a bath of soy sauce, chunks of pineapple and sprinkled with freshly snipped coriander.
Thyme oil infuses the chops with an herb that I find particularly beautiful with pork.
Coffee’s bitterness is a perfect foil for a pork chop with a good layer of fat.