Taking a cue from Breadchik and Todd, I present my most recent culinary success, care of an Emeril cookbook:

2 cups root beer
2 cups reduced veal stock
4 (16-ounce) double-cut bone-in pork chops
4 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 recipe Bourbon-Mashed Sweet Potatoes, recipe follows
1 recipe Caramelized Onions, recipe follows

To make the glaze, combine the root beer and stock in a medium heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to a thick syrup, about 1 cup, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat.

Preheat a grill to medium-high. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Season each chop on both sides with 1 teaspoon of the Essence. Place on the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Turn each chop 1/4 turn to make grill marks and cook an additional 2 minutes. Turn and cook on the second side for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over each chop. Roast until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 150 degrees F, 12 to 15 minutes.

Place the chops on four serving plates and drizzle with the glaze. Spoon the sweet potatoes and caramelized onions onto the plates, and serve.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast): 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup

Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
1 3/4 to 2 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake until tender and starting to ooze sugary syrup, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on their size. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.

Cut a slit down each potato and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Discard the skins. Add the cream, bourbon, brown sugar, molasses, and salt and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover to keep warm, or gently reheat before serving.

Yield: 4 cups

Caramelized Onions:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat and serve hot.

Yield: 2 cups, 4 to 6 servings

The only thing I can say about this is that the potatoes were very strong. We used 2 large sweet potatoes and it was not enough to cut the strength of the bourbon. So I'd either make more potatoes or use less of the liquor. I love bourbon, but they ended up just tasting like alcohol, not having a distinct flavor.

Cheers!