Can Food Change Your Life?

I'm one of those who live to eat, not eat to live. IF I ate to live, maybe I would be skinny and fit into a size 6 jean? Dream on. I digress. This post is about an elixir I made yesterday and ate last night with grilled pork chops. Heaven in a jar. The elixir is "Miel de Poivre", or Pepper Honey. I found the recipe in an article in April's "Cowboys & Indians" magazine. It is a story about Kate Hill, an American gal living in the South of France for the past 20 years. Kate swears that miel de poivre will change your life. How could I NOT make it? If you like spicy food, go get yourself a big ol' jar of peppercorns and make up a batch of this stuff. You won't regret it. Oh, I also used the wet rub Kate called for on the grilled pork chops. I substituted brandy and fennel spice rub (from Napa Style catalog)...wonderful.

Gascon-style grilled pork Kate Hill Gascony, France

Ingredients Pork chops (as many as you’d like)

Gascon wet rub This is an easy way to infuse the flavors of the southwest of France using Armagnac and fennel pollen, which is a lighter, more aromatic way to use fennel.” — Kate Hill

¼ cup Armagnac (or bourbon)

2 teaspoons fresh fennel pollen*

Sea salt

Pepper

*If you can’t find fennel pollen locally, go to www.earthy.com.

Miel de poivre This is magic in a jar‚ a miracle sauce that will change your life. Drizzle it on top of meats, cheeses, and fruits.” — Kate Hill

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

2 handfuls black peppercorns

1 large lemon

With a vegetable peeler, zest the lemon and put the pieces of rind aside. Juice the lemon and set aside. In a medium saucepan, add the water and the peppercorns and bring to a boil, then cook 5 more minutes. Strain and reserve the peppercorns, reserving the water. Add the sugar to the now dark-colored hot water, the lemon juice, and rind. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is thick, about 5 minutes. Add the peppercorns back to the syrup, and cook on low heat for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, bottle and enjoy.

Directions For the Pork Chops:

Prepare the grill, and put the Gascon wet rub on the chops.

Splash a bit of the Armagnac onto the pork chop and massage it in a bit. Do this on both sides. Then rub in the fennel pollen, salt, and pepper. Let marinate for 30 minutes or so while the grill’s heating up.

Cook the pork chops to your desired doneness (but be careful not to overcook). Drizzle with miel de poivre.