I picked up some beautiful bone-in Pork Chops at Avon Prime Meats, a local butcher here in Connecticut. Working with quality ingredients really does return spectacular results! I seared these chops up in a skillet to lock in the flavor and served them with a light balsamic sauce and ripe summer peaches with fresh basil. Some of my favorite summer flavors are coming out in this dish, but I wanted to also have something soft and light to mellow out the flavors here. Mexican Queso Fresco, made with pure cow’s milk, paired nicely here topped with crushed red pepper flakes and a drizzle of high quality olive oil. The texture and flavor of Queso Fresco is mild, firm, and crumbly- similar to Feta cheese, but less salty. Pork Chops sometimes get a bad wrap because they can dry out easily. Have no fear, there are no dry pork chops here – this dish is packed with juicy flavor and has a nice balance of sweetness from the balsamic glaze and peaches!
Balsamic Peach Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 2 Pork Chops bone-in
- Salt + Pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- 2 Peaches sliced
- 6 oz Queso Fresco or Feta
- 1/2 cup Fresh Basil
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper to both sides of the pork chops. Add the olive oil to the skillet, when the oil shimmers, add the pork and sear on both sides for about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for about 8 minutes, or until the pork chops are cooked through.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar and honey. During the last few minutes of cooking, pour the balsamic sauce over the pork chops. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the sliced peaches into the skillet.
- Preheat the oven broiler to high and transfer the skillet to the oven on the middle rack and broil for 4-5 minutes or until the peaches are lightly charred.
- Remove skillet from the oven and plate with quartered cheese, fresh basil, and chili flakes.
- Serve the pork with the peaches and balsamic sauce from the pan and add thin sliced ribbons of basil for extra flavor.
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