Pork Chops with Madeira Bay Butter Sauce

Lately I've been in the mood for good, reliable food. It's not that I'm not feeling food adventurous, it's just after being away from my kitchen all summer I am craving all my old favorites. At first I was wondering how I could make that work with this site, but then I realized that a lot of my older posts for some of my favorite foods could use a little sprucing up. I think it's a good thing to bring those tried and true recipes back to the spotlight. These pork chops are another recipe on regular rotation here. They come from Rozanne Gold's cookbook, Radically Simple. I love this cookbook because it includes super quick and easy meals that look like they could have come from some fancy restaurant. Every time I sit down to eat these pork chops I'm rather stunned by how beautiful they are. I think part of it is that they take so little time to make. It's almost as though they arrive on your table by magic.
The original recipe calls for fresh tarragon, but in the last few years it has become more difficult to find in Fairbanks. Now, I use fresh thyme for sprinkling on top, but I recommend substituting tarragon if you can find it.

Pork Chops with Madeira Bay Butter Sauce and Apples
adapted from Radically Simple by Rozanne Gold

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup Madeira wine
1 large garlic clove finely minced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
3 large thick pork chops
1 large apple
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Bring the broth, Madeira, garlic, and bay leaves to a boil in a skillet over high heat. Reduce to 3 tablespoons, about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and add butter. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside, but keep warm.
Preheat the broiler. Spray broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray, you want to make sure it is well sprayed as the apples will stick terribly if given the chance. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and place on broiler pan. Slice through an entire apple making six 1/4 inch slices, remove core and seeds. Arrange apple around pork chops. Drizzle apples with olive oil. Broil for 7-10 minutes, until pork chops are cooked through. Stack the apple slices on top of the pork chops, drizzle with Madeira sauce, and sprinkle with thyme. Serve immediately.