Pork with Apricot-Brandy Glaze #Recipe by Leslie Karst

I adore pork—so much so that Robin and I invested in a half a hog (and a chest freezer to go with it) last year. As a result, we have a bounty of delicious Duroc pork on hand, so I’m always trying to come up with tasty new ways to cook it.

This quick (à la minute, as they say in the restaurant biz) and simple dish—prepared in the traditional “pan-fry, then deglaze” method popular in many bistros in France—has now become one of my standbys. And if you serve it with simple roasted potatoes and vegetables, it makes for an easy week-night meal.

Seared Pork Chops with Apricot-Brandy Glaze

(serves 2)

Ingredients

1 large pork chop, or 2 smaller ones (¾ to 1 lb. total)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons apricot jam

4 tablespoons brandy

1 large sprig sage (1 tablespoon, chopped)

Directions

Season the pork with ¼ t garlic powder and with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Coarsely chop the sage. 

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron is best) over medium high heat till shimmering, then place chop gently in the pan. Sear till brown, then flip.

Turn down the heat to medium, and continue cooking till it’s done to your liking. You may want to cover the pan, if it's a thick chop like mine. (I like my pork still slightly pink in the middle, as it’s more tender that way.) Remove from pan to let rest while you finish the recipe.

Add butter to pan, then scrape bottom to loosen any bits of pork.

Once the butter is melted, add the apricot jam,

and then the brandy.

Simmer for a minute or two, till the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn, then add the chopped sage. Turn off heat.

Slice the pork,

then spoon sauce on top (see photo at top). I served my pork with roasted baby potatoes and Roasted Leeks with Lemon and Walnuts.

Be sure to check back here in two weeks, on July 22, when I'll post the recipe for that tasty leek recipe!

The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Sally Solari Mysteries, a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California. An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

 

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Check out Leslie's most recent Sally Solari mystery, MURDER FROM SCRATCH:

“Karst seasons her writing with an accurate insider’s view of restaurant operation, as well as a tenderness in the way she treats family, death and Sally’s reactions to Evelyn’s blindness.”

Ellery Queen Magazine

All four Sally Solari Mysteries are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.