Autumn at 315: Grilled Pork Chop with Fresh Chanterelles and Roasted Shallot Sauce

Autumn at 315 brings grilled pork chop, fresh chanterelles, creamy polenta, and a Loire Valley Cabernet Franc chosen by Chef Louis Moskow.

Autumn changes the way we think about dinner. The evenings grow cooler, the fireplace begins to sound inviting, and the ingredients coming into the kitchen take on a different character. Fresh chanterelles, roasted shallots, and grilled pork belong to this time of year.

For Chef Louis Moskow, the Grilled Pork Chop with Fresh Chanterelles, Creamy Polenta, Eggplant & Roasted Shallot Sauce is a natural expression of the season. It brings together the warmth of the grill, the earthiness of forest mushrooms, and the sweetness that develops when shallots are slowly caramelized.

The pork chop itself is a constant in Louis's cooking, though its preparation changes throughout the year. He values the quality of the pork enough to return to it season after season, adjusting the accompanying ingredients to reflect what is available.

This autumn, the result is a French plate built around tenderness, balance, and a glass of Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley.

Good Ingredients, Carefully Chosen

The pork comes from a proprietary farm in Idaho through Louis's butcher. It is raised

without preservatives, hormones, or antibiotics. Louis believes the care given to the animals is reflected in the quality of the finished pork.

The chanterelles come from the Pacific Northwest. These mushrooms have a distinctive woodland character that makes them particularly well suited to autumn cooking. Their earthy flavor provides a natural companion to the grilled pork without overwhelming it.

The eggplant is local to New Mexico and lightly grilled. Its soft texture and restrained flavor bring another element of balance to the plate.

Then there is the polenta.

Louis uses an organic coarse-ground polenta from Indiana, cooked with equal parts milk and water. Garlic, shallots, a little clover honey, and mascarpone cheese complete the preparation.

The coarse grind gives the polenta its character, while the mascarpone contributes a gentle creaminess. The honey is there in a small amount, supporting the natural sweetness of the other ingredients rather than turning the polenta sweet.

Together, these elements make a plate that feels appropriate to the season without becoming unnecessarily heavy.

The French Discipline of the Grill

Grilling is one of the five classic cooking methods Louis considers fundamental to his French kitchen.

For this dish, the pork chop is lightly marinated with garlic, shallots, sherry wine, honey, fresh herbs, and the restaurant's barrel-aged Worcestershire sauce.

Each ingredient has a purpose. The sherry wine contributes acidity, the honey lends a touch of sweetness, and the herbs and aromatics provide a foundation for the pork's natural flavor.

The chop is then grilled to the guest's preferred temperature. Louis recommends medium rare.

The goal is a tender chop with the flavor of the grill on the outside and a juicy interior. As Louis describes it, the meat is so tender that it practically surrenders to the knife.

The roasted shallot sauce brings the elements together. As the shallots caramelize, their natural sweetness develops, complementing the salty-sweet character of the pork and its marinade.

The chanterelles contribute an earthy, forest-like quality. The polenta offers a soft, creamy foundation, while the lightly grilled eggplant keeps the plate connected to the local harvest.

Nothing needs to dominate. The pleasure comes from the way the ingredients work together.

This is central to Louis's approach to French cooking at 315. A plate should have enough character to be memorable, but enough restraint to allow the wine to be fully appreciated.

The guest should leave the table feeling satisfied and comfortable, with the sense that every ingredient belonged.

The Wine Louis Would Pour: Thierry Germain Saumur-Champigny

Louis's choice for this dish is Thierry Germain's Saumur-Champigny, a Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley in France.

Saumur-Champigny is a red wine appellation in the Loire, known for wines made from Cabernet Franc. Louis particularly appreciates the smoky profile and medium body of Thierry Germain's wine.

Those qualities make sense beside this pork chop.

The wine's smoky character finds a natural connection with the grilled meat and caramelized shallots. Its medium body complements the pork without overwhelming the chanterelles or the softer flavors of the polenta and eggplant.

The pairing follows a principle that guides both the kitchen and the wine list at 315: the food should make the wine more enjoyable, and the wine should do the same for the food.

With roughly 400 selections and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence held since 2000, the list gives Louis room to find that balance across different grapes, regions, and styles.

For an autumn dinner, Louis would pour Thierry Germain's Saumur-Champigny alongside the grilled pork chop. Its smoky profile and medium body bring the plate together without asking any one ingredient to compete.

315 is on Old Santa Fe Trail, dinner nightly, reservations at 315santafe.com.