Pork Chops with Roasted Chilean Grape-Pecan Sauce
By: ren leslie
Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - 12:22pm

Ingredients




2 cups grapes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
4 3/4-inch-thick boneless pork chops (about 2 1/4 lb.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. butter

Preparation

1 Preheat to 425°F. Place grapes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 425˚ for 18 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to turn the grapes.  Add pecans to pan; bake 7 minutes longer or until grapes are shriveled. Remove from oven, and gently combine the grapes and pecans (mixture will be sticky). Set aside. 2 Meanwhile, season pork chops with salt and pepper.  Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet; cook pork chops over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until browned; turn and cook 4 minutes longer (a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion should register 150°). Transfer pork chops to a platter and keep warm. 3 Pour off the fat in the skillet and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to pan. Add the shallot and garlic; cook over medium-high heat 1 minute or until shallot is tender. Add wine and bring to a boil; cook 2 to 4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until liquid reduces by half. Add the chicken broth, thyme, and mustard; reduce heat to medium and simmer 2 to 4 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.  Remove pan from heat; stir in butter, grapes, and pecans.  Serve grape sauce over pork chops.

About

Roasting the grapes intensifies their sweetness. The roasted grape-pecan mixture is also terrific over baked ham slices.