From Cooking Light Magazine, October 2005.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 boneless center-cut loin pork chops
2 teaspoons coarsely ground mixed peppercorns or black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)
2 firm Bartlett pears, cored and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons pear brandy, regular brandy, or chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Sage leaves (optional)
The recipe suggests you heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. I used a lovely new cast iron skillet with fine results. Sprinkle pork with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add pork to pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork from pan; cover and keep warm. My chops cooled down too much on the plate just covered with foil and I added them back into the sauce at the end to heat them up. Avoid my mistake and keep the chops warm in the oven while you work.
Add the butter and the leek to the pan; saute for 2 minutes or until the leek is tender. Add the pears. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 2 minutes, stirring gently so the pears don't break up (a bigger problem the softer the pears get). Add the broth, wine, brandy, chopped sage, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened (the recipe estimated about 2 minutes but I gave it longer than that. Spoon the sauce over the pork. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.
I served this with buttered noodles.
Serves 4