Pork Chops with Boozy Blueberry Compote & Polenta
We made this meal over a week ago and haven’t stopped talking about it since. Everything went together so beautifully and the blueberry compote was so dang good that I’m thinking about canning it so I can gift it to folks for Christmas presents this year. This meal also was a good reminder to get back on the polenta wagon. We haven’t cooked polenta in forever and it was the perfect starch to serve with the juicy pork chops and sauce. I hope you all enjoy this simple recipe as much as we do. If you end up with extra sauce it tastes great served over anything from meat to ice cream. Go wild!
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
Pork Chops with Boozy Blueberry Compote & Polenta
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 4
Blueberry Compote- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen no need to thaw)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- pinch of salt
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup polenta
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or another salty hard cheese)
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons cooking fat (we used ghee)
- 4 bone in pork chops
- salt and pepper
- minced parsley for serving
Preparation
- Prepare the blueberry compote by adding all the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
- Prepare the polenta by brining the water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Pour in the polenta slowly, whisking constantly until all the polenta is stirred in the there are no lumps. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until the polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Cover, and cook for about 25 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes or so. When polenta is too thick to whisk add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the grated cheese. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken a bit more. Just before serving add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and the salt and pepper.
- Prepare the pork chops by heating the ghee (or cooking fat of choice) in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Sear the chops for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Serve the chops with the polenta and the blueberry compote. Sprinkle with the minced parsley.
Notes
*The cooking time will very on the polenta so check specific instructions on your package
This looks delicious, and has moved up the list of new recipes to try!
I was especially caught by your idea of canning the boozy blueberry compote to gift for Christmas — there are friends for whom I have annually gifted a basket of canned goods and would shamelessly steal this idea – any reason the recipe couldn’t be hot water bath canned as is?
Thanks!
This sounds absolutely spectacular. We don’t keep bourbon in the house, but I’m thinking that our Puerto Rican rum (not Bacardi) might be a good substitute. I like how easy this recipe would be to make – I’ve been looking for easy to make recipes for some time now. Thanks for adding a good one to my collection.
I’ve used 1/3 c. nutritional yeast in place of the cheese and it’s still delicious! Would also be interested to hear if you rendered your own hog fat for lard (and how).
Thanks!
Just made and thoroughly enjoyed this delicious recipe. Followed the directions and WOW, what a treat – great combinations! I will surely be making this again….and again!
Many thanks!
Yay! so happy you enjoyed it!