Author: thechrisbassett

Food & Beverage

CANDIACE’S CRAVINGS: PORK CHOP W/ POMEGRANATE GLAZE

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Ok, so if you caught my reel/tik tok/youtube short, Candiace finally had a “craving” that she wanted me to cook for her. Usually its just stop and pick up some Olive Garden (spaghetti with meat sauce) on the way home from work. After working all day, she texted me that she wanted a pork chop with pomegranate glaze. Luckily the grocery store (Wegmans) is on the way home, so it was no big deal to stop. Yes, I was tired after working all day, and didnt really feel like or want to cook…..but she is pregnant with our child, and on some level, I probably owed for something dumb I had done during the week.

Anyway, for those of you that may be new here, or have forgotten since it has been so long since I posted here…I HATE the websites that have to write long ass stories when all you really want is the damn recipe……so here it is!

Grocery Cart:

Bone In Thick Cut Pork Chop

Bassetts Blends All Purpose HOT seasoning (or your favorite seasoning)

Pomegranate Juice

Sugar

Beef Stock

Butter

Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

First, pat dry your pork chop(s) with a paper towel. Patting them dry removes any excess moisture that could cause the chop to not have good surface contact with the pan while searing. Once the chops are dry, generously season them with my Bassetts Blends All Purpose HOT seasoning on all sides.

Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add a little avocado oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the chops and let sit for 2-3 minutes, until a nice sear/crust is formed. After 2-3 minutes, flip and sear the second side for the same amount of time. Once chops are seared on both sides, place the skillet into the oven and cook to desired temperature. I cook my pork chops to a medium temperature which usually takes about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness. I ALWAYS use a meat thermometer to ALWAYS get the right temperature. Why guess when the tools to get it right are readily available.

For the Pomegranate Glaze:

Using a sauce pan on medium high heat, add equal parts pomegranate juice and white sugar ( for this recipe i used 1/2 cup of each. Bring mixture to slow boil. Stir often to dissolve the sugar and reduce by 1/4.

Next add in about 2 ounces of beef stock

Finally finish with 2 tablespoons of cold butter, whisk together until smooth.

And that is it! A really easy and fast meal with a ton of flavor.

Food & Beverage

THE EASIEST, CRISPIEST, FLAKIEST CHICKEN POT PIE EVER!!!

Now I’ll be honest, I’ve never really been a big fan of Chicken Pot Pie. I dont even really like pie crust in general. Its hard and dry, and just not my thing. Now we are adding carrots and peas (I really do NOT like peas) to a pie crust. Chicken is boring to me as well, so this was just never a dish that I have enjoyed. Until, I came across this recipe. Something about it spoke to my soul, and I just had to give it try. Now I still left out the peas, you can certainly add them in if you like, have fun with the recipe, make it your own!

Grocery List:

1 Rotisserie Chicken, 1 can Cream of Mushroom, 1 can Cream of Chicken, 14oz bag of frozen veggies (I used a mix of carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower), 1 ready made pie crust, 1 package phyllo dough, melted butter, Bassett’s Blends All Purpose Seasoning, Bassett’s Blends All Purpose HOT Seasoning, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

While the oven is preheating, begin to shred the chicken into thin pieces. Next, in a mixing bowl, add in the cream of mushroom and cream of chicken. Next you will add in the shredded chicken, followed by the frozen vegetables. Once all of those ingredients have been added, add in the fresh rosemary and thyme. Next season with your Bassett’s Blends (or seasoning of choice) to your desired taste/flavor/seasoning level.

Next remove your ready made pie crust from the freezer (if frozen) and bring to room temp. Stretch the pie crust across the bottom and sides of your baking dish of choice. Add your chicken mixture to the pie crust and spread out evenly.

Carefully and gently, lightly ball up small pieces of your phyllo dough and place them on top of the chicken mixture to create the top crust. Cover the top entirely with these little phyllo dough balls. Once the top is covered, using a pastry brush, lightly paint the phyllo dough with some melted butter.

Place the entire baking dish into your 425 degree oven and cook for about 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the dish is hot all the way through.

Once your pot pie has finished baking, remove from the oven and garnish with some more fresh thyme

Like I said earlier, I have never been a fan of chicken pot pie, but I really enjoyed making this version and the taste was great. Give it a try and let me know what you think of it!!

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Bassett’s Blends All Purpose Seasoning

It is finally here!! Well almost. My Bassett’s Blends All Purpose and All Purpose HOT Seasoning blends are finally completed and ready for presale. You can grab some here now at http://www.bassettsblends.myshopify.com. The seasonings will ship November 16, just in time for Thanksgiving!

This truly is an ALL PURPOSE seasoning that goes great on really anything. I use it on chicken, fish, vegetables, salads. It just works. As far as the “HOT” version is concerned, I personally don’t think its TOO spicy, but then again I LOVE heat. I think it has the perfect amount of heat to let you know that it is there, without setting your mouth on fire.

In addition to these 2 blends, I am currently working on 2 more to hopefully be released just after the new year! Go ahead and grab yours today, and let me know what you think, and what you are using it on!

Find it here!

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A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: EBOOK

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YOU FOUND IT!! Welcome to my website and thank you for your interest in my ebook/cookbook. This is just a small sampling of some bigger things I have coming in the next year, and I am excited to share that journey with you. You can buy/download the ebook here. Go ahead, just click this link!

Thank you again, and be sure to be on the lookout for “Bassett’s Blends”, my line of seasonings/spices that will be dropping soon as well. Its only up from here! Don’t for get to let me know your feedback for A Few Of My Favorite Things, so that I can continue to bring you the content you want!

Chris

Food & Beverage

THIRSTY THURSDAY | THE ESPRESSO MARTINI

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I still am just not understanding the hype around this martini. I thought this thing died out in the 2000’s, but now it is EVERYWHERE. Maybe its just because I am not a fan of coffee, I just dont see the allure of this cocktail. I actually did a pretty funny IG “skit”/reel on this cocktail a few months back. A lot of you had voted for this one last week, and it was close, real close, so I decided that because so many people asked for it….I would make it this weeks cocktail.

Traditionally Kahlua is used for the coffee flavoring, but the purpose of this blog/Youtube channel is to turn you on to NEW and FUN things that you may or may not have heard or used before. There is a moonshine company (don’t get all weirded out, not the moonshine that burns holes in your esophagus, but a lovely, smooth drinkable moonshine) based out of Richmond, VA that I love , called Belle Isle Moonshine. I actually have posted about them here a few times in the past, and their whole line of products is just amazing. Anyway, I can talk about them another time. For our espresso martini, we will be using whatever vodka that you like, along with the Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee moonshine. Now, I said earlier that I do not like coffee, coffee flavored drinks, coffee flavored desserts, but when I tell you how good this stuff is…..its really good! So good that I enjoy it on its own with just an ice cube or two.

Here’s the video….enjoy!

Food & Beverage

RASTA PASTA w/ JERK SHRIMP

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OK you “cream sauce crusaders” I hope this dish is to your liking! I loved it! This one is an easy one to do and has a TON of great flavor. The best part is that aside from cooking the pasta, it only requires 1 pan, so there is minimal clean up. I used the Walkerwoods HOT & SPICY jerk seasoning, so feel free to get a milder version or even use a dry rub if that is too hot for you. This is not a “traditional” rasta pasta” but I believe it rings true to the original dish. Dont eat me up too much in the comments for it. I say it in the video, if you are vegetarian, and dont want to do the shrimp or sausage, a good “meaty” mushroom is a great substitute here.

Grocery Cart:

2 tablsepoons avocado oil
1 pound shrimp
1/2 pound andouille sausage
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 teaspoons garlic paste
3 oz white wine (optional)
2 tablespoons jerk seasoning (wet)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 cup pasta water, if needed
salt and pepper TT

Food & Beverage

THIRSTY THURSDAY | OUT ON DUVAL

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Its Thirsty Thursday and you all wanted vodka, so here it is! I really thought it was going to be an espresso martini, but you all voted for “something different”. I had to dig in “the vault” to find this one, but it is a Chris Bassett original. I created this back in like 2012 for a beverage program I was running at the time. I probably have not had this cocktail since I left there, and drinking it again today…I remember why I liked it so much. It is a little on the sweet side, but has some really good acid as well, and you can never go wrong with vanilla!

Enjoy

Food & Beverage

THE ONLY “SPAGHETTI” SAUCE YOU WILL NEED….SIMPLE POMODORO IN 30 MINUTES

Listen, I love a rich cheesy cream sauce as much as the next person. Throw in some blackening or Cajun seasoning, and just take all my money! But seriously….what is the choke hold that these sauces have on the internet/foodie community? There are so many other sauces out there that are just a flavorful and delicious, and wont leave you feeling like you need to run a 5k to enjoy them. This sauce here is one of them. Its in the simplicity of the ingredients, that short amount of time it takes to deliver a ton of flavor, and the versatility to add cream if you want!

This recipes literally has only 6 ingredients (8, if you count salt and pepper), and gives all the flavor you can handle. Not only is it quick and simple, but you can use this sauce for plain pasta, or for meatballs, your chicken/eggplant parmesan. You like a spicy vodka sauce, sure you can adapt this sauce for that. You need some full fat richness? Just add that heavy cream.

You can make this in a large batch, let it cool, and then store it in quart size freezer bags. Now you have a portioned sauce that is good for 4 to 6 people, and you can make each one differently when you choose to make it. This is how cooking should be; stress free, flavorful, with multiple uses. Check out the video for this quick and easy sauce:

Food & Beverage

CRISPY DRY RUBBED WINGS……IN THE OVEN!!

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OK, so the Super Bowl is tomorrow and I just had to gie you all a wing recipe. Now I do not own an air fryer….never have, never will….so if YOU own one, feel free to cook them in your air fryer. For those of us who do not own an air fryer, and dont always enjoy the clean up after deep frying in the kitchen….this recipe is for you!

In addition to the wings, and dry rub, I also have an Alabama White Sauce recipe for you too! Something about the acid and the tang of this sauce, I just love on some good dry rubbed wings!

Food & Beverage

SUPER BOWL PULLED PORK SLIDERS

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So the #SuperBowl is just days away and you need some appetizer ideas! You want some #bbq, but dont have a #smoker, no problem, I got you covered! Check out this full flavor, delicious #pulledpork that you can do in the oven. This #pulledpork is super juicy, tender, and your guests will love it. I even show you how to make a South Carolina sweet heat mustard sauce that will knock your socks off. The best part is that you dont have to spend hours monitoring a smoker, and can do it form the comfort of you own kitchen.

Grocery List:

1 4# Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt
2 table spoons yellow mustard to use as binder
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple juice (not apple juice cocktail)
1/4 stick of butter

For the rub:
2 tbl brown sugar
2 tbl salt
2 tbl smoked paprika
1 tbl ancho chili powder
1tbl garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp black pepper

For the Mustard Sauce
1.5 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 tbl worcestershire sauce
cayenne pepper to taste