| Total: | 50 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
- 2 rounded tablespoons whole almonds, toasted and chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and crushed
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Four 2-inch-thick rib pork chops
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup Calvados, Cognac, or brandy
- 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Put the dried fruit in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over the fruit and set aside for 10 minutes to soften. Drain, reserve the soaking water. In a mini-processor process the fruit with the nuts, butter, fennel and half the shallot until finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small sealable plastic bag or pastry bag. Snip about a 1/2-inch opening in the corner of the plastic bag. With a small paring knife, make a pocket starting from rounded side of each chop. Set the tip of the bag inside the pocket and press a quarter of the stuffing into the chop. Repeat with the remaining chops and filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the chops dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown one side of the chops, until well browned about 5 minutes. Use tongs to hold the chops and sear the edges of the chops. Turn and brown the other sides of the chops, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chops to a baking sheet and bake until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the chops registers 135 degrees F, about 15 minutes. While the chops are in the oven make the sauce. Drain the oil from the saute pan. Off the heat, add the Calvados and the remaining shallots. Return the pan to the heat, taking care since the alcohol may flambe, and cook over high heat until the alcohol is reduced by half and is slightly syrupy. Add the broth and the fruit soaking liquid and boil down until the liquid is reduce by about a third. Add the cream and continue to simmer until it thickens slightly. Whisk in the mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add any juices that have accumulated on the baking sheet to the sauce. Divide the chops among 4 warm plates or a large platter. Pour on the sauce and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 697 |
| Total Fat | 46 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 19 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 45 g |
| Cholesterol | 188 mg |
| Sodium | 827 mg |
Reviews
I just made this tonight and everyone loved it. It wasn’t too difficult to make and it was a real success. I don’t eat pork so I made mine with Chicken and it turned out great..very happy..
This recipe is delicious! The only thing I did differently was double everything because I was cooking for more than four. My husband and my dad raved about this! The pork chops came out moist, and I loved the stuffing. I was looking for something other than a bread-based stuffing, and this worked beautifully.
Was outstanding, used apple jack brandy instead of Calvados. used 2″ boneless chops, the stuffing was just sweet enough and the sauce was great. Will make again.
These were amazing!!! I used just regular brandy instead of Calvados….couldn’t find it in the small community where I live and it was great….only thing I changed besides that, is I added minced smoked chicken sausage to the stuffing so it wouldn’t be so sweet! Will definitely make again and again!!!!! Yumm-o
Restaurant taste at home! I used Grand Marnier for the cognac, and the sauce was devine.
I tried this recipe for Christmas dinner and it met all my expectations. It was wonderful! I also put a few diced cranberries in the sauce but that was the only change I made. It may become our new dinner tradition.
This recipe was wonderful! I substituted walnuts for the almonds, and diced onion for the shallots, simply because they were on hand, and added some dried cranberries to the sauce. My boyfriend and I loved it! It looks so festive, yet it is so easy! Will make this again for company!
This is definitely one of my top five favorite recopies! If you are even remotely thinking about it, try it – you won’t be sorry.
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I like things very sweet, so I added about a half cup of canned apple juice concentrate to the sauce and used an apple/pear chardonnay (made by Vendage – in the box section) in place of the apple brandy (mainly just because the super market had it, and it was a small little container just for cooking with). I also wanted a very thick sauce so I made rue (just some flour and butter combined in the microwave) and added it to the sauce.
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It seems time consuming, but it really doesn’t take much effort. It ended up takes about 10 minutes to prep an d less than 20 minutes to cook. Next time I’ll probably make not stuffed chops, sauce, and then add the fruit mixture to the sauce just before serving. The thinner chops are cheaper and It ends up getting all mixed up on the plate anyway as it oozes out of the chops.
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This would be great with or without the stuffing, the sauce is so yummy. It also would be good on Chicken. I think I’m going to make some extra to freeze next time so that I can have it on hand.
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I like things very sweet, so I added about a half cup of canned apple juice concentrate to the sauce and used an apple/pear chardonnay (made by Vendage – in the box section) in place of the apple brandy (mainly just because the super market had it, and it was a small little container just for cooking with). I also wanted a very thick sauce so I made rue (just some flour and butter combined in the microwave) and added it to the sauce.
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It seems time consuming, but it really doesn’t take much effort. It ended up takes about 10 minutes to prep an d less than 20 minutes to cook. Next time I’ll probably make not stuffed chops, sauce, and then add the fruit mixture to the sauce just before serving. The thinner chops are cheaper and It ends up getting all mixed up on the plate anyway as it oozes out of the chops.
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This would be great with or without the stuffing, the sauce is so yummy. It also would be good on Chicken. I think I’m going to make some extra to freeze next time so that I can have it on hand.
From the first time I made this dish, I was delighted with the results. Thick chops are a must! As the fall season approaches, I look forward to the richness in flavors of the stuffing and sauce coming together, with a tender chop. One special dinner to look forward to anytime, and is sure to impress for a holiday or special occasion.
We served this for my in-laws for Christmas because we loved it so much after I made it the first time. I leave out both the fennel and almonds and it’s still fantastic.