I absolutely love this sauce recipe. You can make it using almost any combination of ingredients.
I've used strawberries, cherries, dried cranberries, and apricots, but so far, blackberries are my favorite.
Blackberries aren't exactly in season, but I've found that frozen works just fine because they are just as nutritious and they are cheaper.
Don't be scared by the reduction. It isn't some fancy schmancy Le Cordon Bleu gourmet trick that only Julia Childs can master. It's actually pretty simple. Reduction is simply the process of reducing (and thickening) liquids using heat to make a more concentrated sauce. It sounds pretty hard core, but trust me, it isn't. Make this for your next dinner party, and it'll surely be a hit.
You can add a reduction sauce to any sort of protein, but if you live in Iowa it would be dumb not to go with pork. Fairway has never let me down in this department. I prefer bone-in chops because I think they are easier to cook, and in my opinion, tastier.
I don't trim the visible fat with pork chops like I do with all other meats because I feel that the fat helps it cook and stay nice and moist. I do however, make sure I trim all the fat after it is cooked. I'm probably adding some unnecessary calories here, but I don't care. Sometimes taste is more important. I'll do some extra sit-ups next time I think about it, okay?
This dish has a hefty dose of protein and the berries make it a great source of Vitamin C and antioxidants.
Good luck and enjoy!
Ingredients
Pork Chops
- 2 bone-in pork chops (3/4-1 inch thick)
- 2 TB olive oil
Sauce
- 1 container of blackberries (about two cups)
- 1/2 cup red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 TB honey
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
Sauce Directions
- Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pan.
- Cook on high until the sauce comes to a boil.
- Reduce the temperature to medium heat.
- Stir occasionally to prevent burning and cool until the sauce thickens and reduces by half (about 15 minutes).
Pork Chop Directions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Add olive oil to large oven safe pan (if handle isn't oven safe, wrap it with foil).
- Bring to high heat.
- Arrange chops in the large pan-be careful as there might be some oil spattering
- Cook for about two minutes.
- Flip chops over and cook for one minute (chops should be lightly browned).
- Pour 1/4 of the blackberry sauce over the chops.
- Transfer the whole pan to the oven and cook for eight to 10 minutes.
- Add another 1/4 of the sauce halfway through cooking.
- They are done when they reach an internal temperature of 150.
- Serve with remaining blackberry sauce.
Serves 2
Calories: 415.5
Total Fat: 19.3
Saturated Fat: 3.8
Cholesterol: 45.6
Sodium: 61.5
Potassium: 562.8
Total Carbohydrate: 36
Dietary Fiber 7.7
Sugars: 8.6
Protein: 17.1
Vitamin C: 51.5%
