Pork Chops with Blue Cheese Sauce

Sophomore year is over. The final seminar paper went in Tuesday. Dr. Choi gave me an A and a long handwritten note in the bottom margin saying she was looking forward to the junior-year independent study. Dustin and I are packing the apartment for the summer — we’re keeping the lease for junior year because the housing market in Nashville is brutal and we like the apartment, but we’re boxing up most of our things for storage at his parents’ basement during May-June-July when neither of us is in Nashville. The packing is moving slowly because we keep stopping to look at things.

Sunday I made pork chops with blue cheese sauce because Cody had emailed me Wednesday with a request to develop a possible cafe-menu recipe for the lunch service that opens next year. The cafe’s menu is going to be approachable Italian-American, but Cody wants one or two protein-forward dishes that aren’t pasta-or-sandwich based, to give lunch customers options. He’d been thinking about a single elegant pork chop with a blue cheese cream sauce that could anchor a small lunch menu — six tables and a four-seat counter means the kitchen can’t produce twenty different dishes during service, so each menu item needs to do real work.

I worked through the recipe Saturday and Sunday in two cooking passes, the first as a baseline test and the second as a refinement.

The technique: bone-in pork chops about an inch and a half thick (Cody specified bone-in for the cafe; the bone helps the chop stay moist during the high-heat sear). Salted heavily on both sides at least an hour before cooking (a dry brine; the salt penetrates the meat and seasons from the inside out). Patted dry with paper towels just before searing.

Seared in a heavy cast-iron skillet over high heat with a tablespoon of vegetable oil for three minutes per side until a deep mahogany crust develops. Transferred to a four-hundred oven for eight to ten minutes until the internal temperature reads one-forty-five (medium, with a slight pink center; modern pork is safe at one-forty-five). Rested ten minutes under foil before plating.

The blue cheese cream sauce, made in the same skillet on the meat fond while the chops rested: a finely diced shallot sweated in butter for three minutes; a half-cup of dry white wine to deglaze, reduced two minutes; a cup of heavy cream poured in and simmered three minutes; off the heat, three ounces of crumbled blue cheese (a real Maytag or Roquefort) stirred in until melted; a tablespoon of fresh chopped chives, salt, pepper, a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Plated: the rested pork chop, the blue cheese sauce poured generously around (not over) the chop, a small handful of caramelized shallots scattered on top, fresh thyme leaves for the green note. Cody read the recipe Sunday night via FaceTime and said it would be on the cafe’s opening menu.

Dry brine the chop. High-sear, oven-finish, rest. Blue cheese off-heat in the cream. Here’s the build.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 oz crumbled blue cheese
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Season the chops. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Sear the pork. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet (cast iron works best) over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and sear for 4–5 minutes per side, until a deep golden crust forms and the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil to rest.
Build the sauce base. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the same skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Deglaze and simmer. Pour in the chicken broth, stirring to lift any remaining fond from the bottom of the pan. Let it reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes.
Add the cream and cheese. Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the crumbled blue cheese and thyme, stirring until the cheese is mostly melted and the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 3–4 minutes.
Finish and serve. Return the pork chops to the pan, spooning sauce over the top. Heat through for 1–2 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork Chops with Blue Cheese Sauce