Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce

By Dglmedia

By Amy Wisniewski

An aromatic, slightly piquant spice rub breathes new life into pork chops, but the sweet-sour cherry sauce is what makes this recipe a keeper.

Game plan: The cherry sauce would be equally delicious served with lamb or duck. A bonus is that the sauce can be prepared while the chops cook, making for a quick weeknight meal.

The spice rub can be made ahead and stored at room temperature for up to 3 months. It’s also great rubbed on lamb or beef.

This recipe was featured as part of our Easy Weeknight Dinners photo gallery.

TIME/SERVINGS
Total Time: 40 mins
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

• For the cherry sauce:
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium shallot, finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh Bing cherries, pitted and halved
• 1/3 cup ruby port
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• For the pork chops:
• 2 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• 3/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from chow.com

Preparation

Step 1

1.Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

For the cherry sauce:
1.Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the shallot and season with salt. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
2.Stir in the cherries, port, and vinegar and cook until the cherries begin to soften and the port has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. While the sauce reduces, start cooking the pork chops. When the sauce is finished, remove from heat and set aside.


For the pork chops:
1.Rinse the pork chops and pat dry with paper towels. Place the salt, coriander, mustard, and pepper in a small bowl and mix until evenly combined. Rub all of the spice mixture on the pork chops.
2.Heat the oil in a large, oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the chops and cook on one side, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
3.Flip the chops and place the pan in the oven. Cook until the chops are firm but not hard and an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F, about 11 minutes.
4.Place the chops on warm plates and let rest 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon the sauce over top and serve.


Beverage pairing: Pencarrow Martinborough Pinot Noir, New Zealand. Pork and cherries call out for Pinot Noir, which has a lighter texture that goes wonderfully with pork, while the grape’s native flavors tend toward cherry. New-world Pinot like this balanced effort from New Zealand’s Martinborough region is a natural choice, though a Burgundy from a ripe vintage would also work.