Pork Chops with Blackberry Sauce
Friday, 24 June 2011
This might be the last unhealthy post for a while (I know, what am I thinking? I’m a terrible food blogger)*. I’m doing Jillian Micheal’s Ripped in 30 Days DVD and it comes with a meal plan. I’m sticking to the plan as much as possible, with the occasional jaunt to eat out with friends. The meal plan isn’t so bad – it includes a lot of food I eat anyway, from hummus and veggies to black bean chicken burritos. I’m putting my own spin on some of the recipes and I’ll have to share a few with you, along with what I think of both the workouts and the meal plan.
For now, I share with you a big ol’ hunk of meat that I smothered in fresh blackberry sauce. On Wednesday I told you about the picking blackberries at a local farm. I was determined not to make jam or bake a dessert with the berries. Too easy and typical for me. Instead, a savory meat dish seemed like a great alternative. While the sauce itself is on the sweeter side of things, it’s cooked down with vermouth, balsamic vinegar, fig jam and honey, and the flavors really compliment the pork chop.
Besides making jam, what do you like to do with summer fruit?
Recipe:
Pork Chops with Blackberry Sauce
Adapted from the Meat and Potatoes Foodie
Makes 2 servings
- 2 pork chops
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 T butter, divided
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 C fresh blackberries
- 1/2 C vermouth
- 1 T balsamic vinegar
- 1 t honey
- 1/2 t jam (fig if you have it)
- Pinch of pepper
Preheat oven to 200°F.
Generously season pork chop with salt and pepper on both sides. Over medium high heat, place 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil in large rimmed skillet. Lower heat slightly and add season pork chops, cooking 3-4 minutes until there is a crust, then flipping over and cooking a few more minutes until cooked through (I used bone in and it wasn’t cooked through at this point, so I increased the oven temp to 300°F and cooked until the pork reached 260°F in the middle). Place chops on a pan in the oven to keep warm.
In the meantime, prepare the blackberry sauce. Drain excess fat from the pan and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Place over medium heat and add berries. Cook for around 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vermouth to pan and bring to a boil, then lower heat slightly and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add balsamic vinegar, honey, jam and pepper and cook a minute or 2 more, until sauce is slightly thickened.
Remove chops from oven and pour sauce over them. Serve immediately.
*I take that back. There will probably be sorbet, popsicles and cupcakes coming up in July. So that should hold you over!
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No. 1 — June 24th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Good luck on the food plan! Its tough to be a foodie and be on a meal plan. (For me anyways) The blackberry sauce looks so yummy. Love the color it creates.
No. 2 — June 25th, 2011 at 5:00 am
That sauce looks so good.. And Im sure tasted great with pork chops
No. 3 — June 25th, 2011 at 7:10 am
Fabulous unhealthy post
Nice last hurrah. Good luck with your food plan! Buzzed!
No. 4 — June 25th, 2011 at 7:44 am
Wow – that looks really, really good! Picture is beautiful! I love fruit with pork and the more we can spread the word – the better!!
No. 5 — June 25th, 2011 at 8:26 am
@Lindsey – thanks! I haven’t stuck to it for every meal, and I think that’s ok. It’s hard when you love food!
No. 6 — June 25th, 2011 at 8:27 am
@Medeja – it was great with the pork chops! I highly recommend this recipe.
No. 7 — June 25th, 2011 at 8:27 am
@Parsley Sage – thanks!!
No. 8 — June 25th, 2011 at 8:27 am
@Ann – thank you! Let’s spread the word, it’s amazing!
No. 9 — June 25th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Pies and shortcakes
I’d say this was a lot healthier than some other options with your berries…the pork blackberry combo looks phenomenal!
No. 10 — June 25th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
What an amazing sauce! Great idea to combine it with pork. Good luck with the Jillian workout. She is TOUGH!!
No. 11 — June 25th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
@Liz – that’s true, some desserts could be way worse. The blackberries went great with the pork!
No. 12 — June 25th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
@Erin – thanks! I just finished week 1 and like her so far. Not sure how I’ll feel in week 3 and 4 though!
No. 13 — June 26th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
This sauce sounds delicious….what do you think about using it on Grilled Diver Scallops?
No. 14 — June 26th, 2011 at 8:23 pm
@Nancy – I bet that would be great!
No. 15 — June 26th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Love the sauce! A really mouthwatering photo.
No. 16 — June 27th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Ive been tempted to try something savory with a fruit lately. It seems so bizarre to me! But my new taste for fruit makes me think it would be an awesome combination!
No. 17 — June 27th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
@kita – This post made me think of you, actually, because you always have such awesome looking meat dishes. You should definitely try this!
No. 18 — June 28th, 2011 at 9:03 am
This looks soo delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
No. 19 — June 28th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Love those chops this is super yummy. Good Luck with the meal plan and the workouts. Jillian can be kinda tough!
No. 20 — June 29th, 2011 at 8:43 am
@Kelly – thanks for stopping by on Facebook and on the blog!
No. 21 — June 29th, 2011 at 8:43 am
@Sandra – thanks! I just finished week 1, starting week 2 tonight…I’ll need the luck I think!