Seattle Cook Local Examiner

Pork chops with cherry mustard sauce, beans, and beets

Last week when I stopped by Skagit River Ranch, I picked up two of the best looking packages of pork chops I'd ever seen. When buying from a local farmer, you can't always guarantee that what you're after will be available. Some weeks the pork from Skagit is extremely marbled. Other weeks it is incredibly lean. Each type of pork chop has an application, but for this recipe, I was hoping for lean, meaty chops. I got exactly what I wanted. Score!

Next I headed to Tiny's Organic Produce. They happily sold me half a pound of big, fat cherries. Next, a stop at Sea Breeze for some Chardonnay Mustard and I was good to go.

Friday night, I defrosted those four perfect pork chops in order to bring you (and me) this recipe.

Pork Chops with Cherry Mustard Sauce

Serves 4

• 4 pork chops (bone-in or boneless)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 Tbsp Chardonnay Mustard
• 1/2 pound fresh cherries

1. Pit and halve the cherries.
2. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper.
3. In a stainless steel skillet (or a skillet that is NOT non-stick), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
4. Cook the chops until browned on each side and nearly cooked.
5. Transfer the chops to an oven safe dish and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
6. Deglaze the skillet with the wine and scrape up the brown bits of pork.
7. Add the mustard and the cherries.
8. Reduce the heat to medium and saute for about 5 minutes.
9. Return the chops to the pan and coat with the sauce.
10. Cook for 5 minutes and then flip the chops. Cook for another 5 minutes or until cooked through.
11. Plate the chops and spoon the sauce over them.

Patricia's Notes: We both enjoyed this dish. I can't say it was fantastic, but it was tasty. Next time I will substitute another fruit for the cherries. I just wasn't pleased with the texture of the cooked cherries. I think raspberries or apricots would work well here. I recommend a thick mustard, as that will help keep the sauce a bit creamier. Alternatively, mince the cherries instead of halving them. That would prevent the soggy cherry texture that didn't impress me.