Fennel Crusted Pork Loin Chop with a Cherry Gastrique

Name: Fennel Crusted Pork Loin Chop with a Cherry Gastrique
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: Pork loin chops bone in; 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; 1 tablespoon sea salt; 1 tablespoon peppercorns; 1 small shallot; 1 orange; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1/4 cup port wine; 1/4 cup chicken stock; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 star anise; 2-3 tablespoons dried cherries or about 12-15 fresh; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

1 step

Prep:15minCook:30min

If gastrique sounds like a big, fancy word, you may be right. But I assure you, it's a few simple steps that will lead to a luxurious and refined sweet and sour sauce. And it is such an amazing compliment to your proteins.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 03:01:03 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Moderate

Nutrition per serving

Calories510.8 kcal (26%)

Total Fat31.7 g (45%)

Carbs31.1 g (12%)

Sugars20.8 g (23%)

Protein18.3 g (37%)

Sodium2290.4 mg (115%)

Fiber4 g (14%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

2 servings

Pork loin chops

bone in

1 tablespoonfennel seeds

1 tablespoonsea salt

1 tablespoonpeppercorns

1shallot

small

1orange

1 tablespoonsugar

¼ cupport wine

¼ cupchicken stock

2 tablespoonsred wine vinegar

1star anise

2 tablespoonsdried cherries

12-15 fresh

3 tablespoonsunsalted butter

1 tablespoonextra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Step 1

FOR THE CHOP: combine fennel seeds, pepper corns and salt and grind with a mortar and pestle. Rub the olive oil onto your chops for a binder and crust your chop with the fennel combination. Heat a saute pan to a good medium heat and pour about a tablespoon of olive oil in and toss a tablespoon of butter in. When the butter has all but completely melted, add your chop. Get a nice golden crust before flipping. (depends on thickness of your chops but I went about 6 minutes a side) After flipping the chops you can toss in a little more butter and a few cloves of garlic and baste the chop while you're cooking the second side. When you chop is finished, remove it from the heat and let it rest. FOR THE GASTRIQUE: Heat a saute pan to medium heat, dice the shallot and saute in a table spoon of butter for about 3 minutes. Now pour in the juice from the orange, the cherries diced up if using fresh, leave a few halves in tact for visual appeal) the port wine, the granulated sugar, and the red wine vinegar and simmer for about 4 minutes. Add the star anise and chicken broth and stir and continue to simmer for another 4 minutes. Add the last tablespoon of butter and stir in thoroughly. This will put a nice, smooth, glossy finish on your sauce. Turn off the heat, remove the star anise. Plate your chop. I served mine over fresh spinach. Spoon the gastrique over the chop and serve. Love this with lamb, pork, duck. Have fun with it!