Pork Chops with Pear & Ginger Sauce

Oh My Goodness!!!  At the first bite, I knew this was going to be a regular!  It's also one of those times that I would have never thought to bring the assortment of ingredients together.

Serves - 4  /  Serving Size - 1 chop & sauce
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

4 4-oz boneless pork chops, 1/2" thick, trimmed
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tsp canola oil
3 Tblspn cider vinegar
2 Tblspn sugar [used 1 Tblspn Splenda Blend]
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 firm, ripe pear, such as Bosc or Anjou, peeled, cored, cut lengthwise into eights
1 1-1/2" long piece fresh ginger, peeled & cut into thick julienne strips (1/4 cup)
6 scallions, trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch lengths
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water

1.  Season pork with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork and cook until browned and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.  Pour off fat from the pan.

2.  Add vinegar and sugar to the pan; stir to dissolve the sugar.  Cook over medium-high heat until the syrup turns dark amber, 10 to 20 seconds.  Pour in wine (stand back, as the caramel may sputter) and bring to a simmer, stirring.  Add scallions and cook until the pears are tender, about 2 minutes more.  Add the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring, until lightly thickened.  Reduce heat to low and return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan; turn to coat with the sauce.  Serve immediately.

Exchanges/Carbohydrate: 1/2 fruit  /  1/2 other carb  /  3 lean meat  /  1 fat
                                                1 Carb serving

Calories - 237                           Sodium - 286mg
Total Fat - 5g                            Total Carbs - 13g  w/net carbs - 11g
   Saturated Fat - 1g                       Dietary Fiber - 2g
   Monounsat Fat - 2g                Protein - 23g
Cholesterol - 52mg

Source:  EatingWell - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pork_chops_with_pear_ginger_sauce.html

Review/Suggestions:

• If you only need to prepare two pork chops, then you can decrease the cooking time to 20 minutes.
• My vinegar and sugar did not result in a dark amber color.  It was more a light color, but once the juices from the pork were added, it turned a nice rich color.  Really though big whoop.  You just can't go wrong with this one!