Chef Isaac Toups is joining the TODAY Food team to share two of his most delicious Southern-inspired recipes, which also happen to be some of Hoda's favorite foods, to celebrate her return. Toups shows us how to make fried pork chops with espresso aioli and cane syrup hand pies.
Adding espresso to food may seem like a way out there idea, but coffee is actually a great ingredient to pair with proteins — think red-eye gravy. The bold taste of the espresso complements the creaminess of the aioli and peps up the flavor profile of the whole dish.
Cane syrup is a Louisiana staple. It's typically thicker than maple syrup, more like molasses, and it's what we always had on pancakes and waffles growing up. My grandmother used to make these sweet hand pies and they were always my favorite dessert.
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