Fig, Apricot & Blue Cheese stuffed NCH Pork Chops
Surprise and delight with this sweet and savory approach to our Pork Chops.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 dried figs, stem removed, cut into quarters
6 dried apricots halves, cut into quarters
¼ cup pecans, toasted then chopped
3 tbsp blue cheese, we are fans of this one from the local Orman’s Cheese Shop.
1 shallot, minced
½ tsp fennel powder
¼ tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
4 thick cut bone in North Corner Haven pork chops
3 tbsp vegetable oil
¼ cup brandy
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with pan spray.
Have a culinary thermometer ready. This one from amazon is a favorite and reminds you of cooking temps!
Put the dried fruit in a bowl. Pour ½ cup boiling water over the fruit and set aside for 15 minutes to soften. Drain fruit, reserving the liquid.
In a food processor, process the fruit with the nuts, cheese, fennel and half the shallot until finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small sealable plastic bag or piping bag, transfer the mixture. Cut a ½ inch off the corner of the bag. Taking each pork chop, make a hole with a knife in the rounded portion of the chop and make a pocket to receive the filling. Place the cut end of the piping bag inside the pork chop pocket and squeeze a quarter of the filling inside the chop.
Dry the both sides of the pork chops. Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat.
Add the oil to the pan and heat the oil to a shimmer, maybe one minute. Add the pork chops and brown the first side for 5 minutes. Turn the pork chops with a pair of tongs, browning the other side an additional 2 minutes. Remove chops from the saute pan and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cook in preheated oven until the internal temperature is 135℉ or until desired temperature. About 15 – 20 minutes.
While the chops are cooking – it’s time to make the sauce! Drain the oil from the sauté pan. Place the shallots in the same pan and cook over medium high heat for a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and add the brandy to the pan. When returning the pan to the burner, be careful as the alcohol from the Brandy is flammable and could flambé. Cook over high until the alcohol is reduced to a syrup. Add the broth and the fruit liquid and boil down until the liquid is reduced by a ⅓. Add the cream and continue to simmer until it thickens slightly. Whisk in the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Once pork chops are finished cooking, remove from the baking sheet and place on a platter. If any juices have accumulated from the pork chops add it to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chops and serve.
This dish is excellent served with white rice and asparagus! We particularly love our rice from Anson Mills, find info here.