Seared Pork Chops with Fig + Dijon Pan Sauce

Pork chops and figs are a match made in heaven and they come together so deliciously in this dish. It’s the perfect ode to late summer/early fall, highlighting one of my favorite ingredients - figs. It’s perfect for having company over or a date night in!

I know it may be intimidating to cook pork chops but the most important thing is investing in a good instant-read thermometer! Don’t be afraid to take the pork chops out of the pan and test them a few times to check doneness before they may be ready. As always, email or DM me on Instagram with any questions you have!

Serves 2.

INGREDIENTS

For the pork chops:

• 1.5 lb bone-in pork chops*

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper

• 1 Tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)

For the fig pan sauce:

• 6 large figs, quartered

• 2 Tbsp verjus (can also use any dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc)

• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1.5 tsp grainy mustard

• 1/4 cup chicken stock or water

• 1 Tbsp fig jam

To finish:

• Two large handfuls of mustard greens (or arugula if you can’t find)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Balsamic vinegar

• Maldon salt

• 2 figs, quartered

METHOD

1. Cook the pork chops:

   1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° F and heat a medium stainless steel pan over high heat for 2-3 minutes, until ripping hot.

   2. While the oven is pre-heating and the pan is heating up, season the pork chops generously on both sides with kosher salt and pepper.

   3. Add the avocado oil to the hot pan and swirl around, then add the pork chops to the pan. They will sizzle quite a bit — this is what you want! Use your hand to gently press down the pork chop so the entire thing makes contact with the hot pan.

   4. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes (without moving) on the first side or until golden brown. It’s normal for them to smoke a little but if the heat gets excessive, you can turn down a little.

   5. Flip the pork chops and transfer to the oven. Allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the thickest part of the pork chops register 140° F with an instant-read thermometer. Cook time will depend on the thickness of your pork chops and your oven. I like to check after 5 minutes to gauge how quickly they’re cooking.

   6. Transfer the pork chops to a plate, loosely tent with aluminum foil and allow to rest for ~5 minutes. Tenting + resting the pork chops will result in a super juicy end product. As they rest, they will continue to cook and will reach 145° F (which is an ideal temp for pork chops!)

2. Make the fig + Dijon pan sauce*:

   1. Drain off the residual fat from the pan you cooked the pork chops in and turn the heat to low. You should have some crispy bits in there that will add to the richness of our sauce.

   2. Add in the verjus or wine (if adding wine, make sure to do so off the heat) and the quartered figs and sauté until they have begun to caramelize and are slightly jammy, 2-3 minutes.

   3. Add in the Dijon and grainy mustards, stock and fig jam and stir until combined. Simmer over low heat until the figs have broken down quite a bit and the sauce has reduced and coats the back of a wooden spoon, ~2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

3. Plate the dish:

   1. Toss together the greens with a splash of balsamic vinegar and EVOO, to taste, along with a pinch of Maldon salt.

   2. Slice the pork against the grain into 1/2 inch pieces and fan out on a platter. Pour any juices that were left behind on the cutting board on top of the pork.

   3. Top the sliced pork with that beautiful fig pan sauce and finish with a big pile of the greens + sliced fresh figs to finish. Enjoy!

NOTES

• Pork Chops:

  • Bone-in pork chops are ideal if you’re able to find them. They turn out a lot juicier + more tender than boneless.

  • If you can’t find bone-in pork chops, grab 1 lb boneless pork chops (you’ll use less boneless since the bone adds the the weight).

  • You may be able to find one large pork chop that will feed two but you may need to grab two, depending on their size.