Nina Marcinowski

Ground mixed peppercorns give a slightly sweet, barely hot flavor to the pork and pears. If you don’t have pear brandy, substitute regular brandy or additional chicken broth. I used a little maple syrup for the pear brandy.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about ½ inch thick)
• 2 teaspoons coarsely ground mixed peppercorns or black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)
• 2 firm Bartlett pears, cored and cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick slices
• 1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons pear brandy
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• Sage leaves (optional)

Directions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork from pan; cover and keep warm.

Add butter and leek to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until leek is tender. Add pears. Reduce heat to medium; cook about 2 minutes, stirring gently. Add broth, wine, brandy, chopped sage, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened (about 2 minutes). Spoon sauce over pork. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1 cup pear mixture)