Recipe: Apple, Rosemary, and Maitake- Stuffed Pork Chop with Pan-Fried Apples and Apple-Maitake Puree

I may try to add an actual sauce to this at some point (or possibly just use cider instead of actual apples in the puree and turn it into an actual sauce - I'll need to work on the "actually making sauces" part).

Ingredients:
1 Braeburn Apple
1 Pork Chop
1-2 Sprigs Rosemary
Butter
1 Shallot
"Some" dried maitake mushrooms
Sweet Marsala

In a small saucepan, add water and dried maitakes and simmer on medium heat to infuse for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees fahrenheit (alternatively, sous vide at 130).

Quarter the apple and remove the core. Peel and finely chop two segments (keep separate), and slice the remaining two. Remove and finely chop rosemary leaves and half of the mushrooms. Mix one chopped quarter, rosemary, and mushrooms in a small bowl until integrated. Puree the other apple quarter with your knife.

Using a sharp knife, remove and reserve the foot and any excess rind from the chop. Cut a pocket in the remainder, all the way to the bone; try to keep the opening small but hollow out as much of the chop as possible. Stuff with the apple-rosemary-mushroom mixture, using a funnel or piping bag if necessary (which it should be if you made the hole small enough). Oven for an hour.

Meanwhile, add pureed apple to mushroom stock and reduce by 2/3. Finely chop shallot.

Remove chop from the oven and heat a pan on high. Add the foot and rind of the chop to the pan as it heats. Once the pan is smoking hot, lightly salt both sides of the chop and quickly fry on both sides (we want a crust but not to overcook the inside, which should remain at medium). Remove chop and rind to rest; turn pan down to medium heat.

Add shallots to the pan, lightly salt, and sweat 2-3 minutes. Deglaze pan with Marsala, cook off, and then add the mushroom-apple stock/puree. Cook until thick and remove.

Turn pan up to medium-high heat, and add butter and sliced apples. Lightly salt and pepper the apples as they fry.

Plate with the apples arranged on top of the chop and the puree off to the side.
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Notes:
Consider adding a LITTLE bit of butter to the stuffing.

Ginger may work here (I used ginger salt as an experiment and it seemed to do good things).

Try to make the puree into an actual sauce. I have no idea how to do this.

Flavorful mushrooms + apple seems like an excellent combination with lean pork (had a similar experience with chanterelles when I made the stuffed pork loin for dinner a few months back). Rosemary seemed to work.