Parmesan Baked Pork Chops

Parmesan Baked Pork Chops 

4 boneless pork chops
1 T. olive oil
1 C. Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1 C. Panco bread crumbs
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

On a plate combine the last 4 ingredients. Rub the pork chops with olive oil and then dip (coat) each one in the cheese mixture. Press the mixture over the pork chops to make sure they are well covered in it. Line a pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Place the pork chops on the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Pork Chops in Dijon Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 center-cut rib or loin pork chops, boneless or bone-in (whatever you prefer), about 1 1/4 inch thick
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots or green onions
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup chicken stock*
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional)

*If cooking gluten-free, use homemade chicken stock or gluten-free packaged stock.

METHOD

1 Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over them. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the butter. As soon as the butter has melted, add the pork chops to the pan and sear them, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat slightly if the chops brown too quickly.

2 Remove the pork chops from the pan and pour off most of the fat. Add the green onions or shallots and cook them on med high heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of the wine and bring to a boil, deglazing the pan by scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the stock and return chops to the pan. Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook until chops are cooked through (145°F internal temp), about 10 to 15 minutes.

3 Remove the pork chops to a warm platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining half cup of wine. Increase the heat to high to boil the pan juices. Reduce the juices by half, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and boil 3 minutes more, until sauce reduces and thickens, and scraping the pan with a wooden spoon leaves a trail. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard and parsley. If you want, add more mustard to taste. Place chops on a bed of sauce and serve.

Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze

Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

I made this one tonight and was not happy with it. I felt they were dry and overcooked. I reviewed an article in Cooks Illustrated and found that the first stage browning was excessive and dried out the port chop. Since most of the color comes from the Balsamic Glaze its not really necessary to truly brown the chops. The second cooking stage I lost track of time and the chops got to 170. I will be working on this recipe and update the photos with better results soon.

4 center cut Rib Pork chops, pounded to 3/4 inch thick
1 tsp. salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 T olive oil
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. sugar

Trim fat from pork chops, and pound to 3/4 inch thickness. Season chops on both sides with salt, pepper. Starting with a cold pan, add olive oil, add pork chops and cook over medium heat (4) until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 3 minutes total.

Remove pork chops to plate, lower heat slightly, and add vinegar and sugar and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Put pork chops back into pan with any liquid which has collected on plate, and cook about 5-6 minutes, (internal temp of 140) turning several times to glaze pork chops with sauce. Serve hot, with sauce poured over.

3/12/2008 Update

OK, I reworked this one today and followed the times and temperatures to the letter. What a huge difference. The chops were moist and with an excellent taste of the Balsamic Glaze. I will do this again real soon. Learned a lot about Pork Chops and how to cook them.