Gluten Free Pork Chops with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion and Date Compote

These Gluten Free Pork Chops with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion and Date Compote will wow your guests with little effort. It’s sweet, tangy, and savory and perfect for a fancy weeknight meal.

Happy belated birthday to me!!!

So another year has gone by. Sing a sad tune to me. Boo hoo!

YEAH RIGHT!!!

I love getting older. People take me more seriously the older I get. Instead of looking like a teenager, maybe I can actually pass off for at least 20. Whatcha think about that?! I probably won’t qualify for senior citizen discounts until I’m at least 80…or 100…hopefully I last that long.

So yesterday Ben had this lovely date night planned. I say lovely because he had arranged for some friends to watch our girls so we could get a night to ourselves. We were stoked anticipating this break. Even the girls were excited because they love babysitters and play dates.

And then the morning came.

PINK EYE!

Emry woke up with pink eye the day of my birthday. No date night. No babysitters. No going anywhere…except the urgent care.

BUMMER!!!

And then it poured down rain all day. I sloshed through puddles to pick up Emry’s prescription. Since I was out and about anyway, I decided that a trip to the grocery store was in order. If I couldn’t go to a fancy dinner on my birthday, then a fancy dinner was COMING TO ME by golly!

Originally I was thinking I would pick up some steaks, but then I remembered that’s one thing I’m really bad at. Cooking steak. I should practice more, but they’re so expensive!

Now pork chops, I can cook pork chops. Plus they had these beautiful thick cut pork chops at the grocery store that I just couldn’t resist. And since pork chops are so versatile, I could put anything I wanted on top.

Soooo….

Goat cheese went into the shopping cart.

Then onions.

Then a package of mushrooms.

Dates.

Dried apricots.

Grape tomatoes.

And lastly, some tangy balsamic vinegar.

LET’S DO THIS THING!!!

I’m pretty sure these Gluten Free Pork Chops with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion and Date Compote were the best birthday present I received.

Okay, maybe not, but close.

But one thing’s for darn sure; I ain’t NEVER had a better birthday meal in my life!

Imagine a lean, thick pork chop pan seared in butter. Okay, yum right there. Then top that off with smooth, creamy goat cheese that just melts right over the top. Drooling.

Okay, now here is the kicker. This caramelized onion and date compote. You can’t beat this. I caramelized onions in butter, balsamic vinegar, and a few seasonings. Then I added in some sliced mushrooms and a mixture of chopped dates and dried apricots to absorb some of that yummy, tangy balsamic vinegar reduction.

The result was this luscious, sweet and savory compote that married like a dream with the goat cheese and pork chops.

Top it all off with some diced cherry tomatoes, and you’ve got yourself a feast fit for a queen…or a birthday girl.

So happy birthday to me, and just a happy day to you…especially if you are eating this later.

What is your favorite birthday meal?

5.0 from 2 reviews

Gluten Free Pork Chops with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion and Date Compote

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

These Gluten Free Pork Chops with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion and Date Compote will wow your guests with little effort. It's sweet, tangy, and savory and perfect for a fancy weeknight meal.

Author: Brielle

Recipe type: Dinner

Serves: 4 pork chops

Ingredients

• 6-7 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 lean center cut pork chops (about 5 oz. each)
• salt and pepper
• ½ large onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chicken bullion granules
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ cup dried apricots, sliced thin*
• ¼ cup whole dates, sliced thin*
• 4 oz. goat cheese
• ½ cup chopped grape tomatoes
• 1 carton mushrooms (8 oz.) sliced

Directions

1. Prepare pork chops by trimming fat and generously seasoning both sides with salt and pepper. Allow to sit while preparing vegetables.
2. Begin preparing compote by thinly slicing onion, dates, and apricots. Slice mushrooms about ¼" thick and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, heat 1½ tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Simultaneously heat 4 tablespoons butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Once butter is melted in both pans and pans are hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, arrange pork chops 1" apart in saucepan with less butter. Reduce heat to 4 out of 10 and cook for 10 minutes on first side.
4. While pork chops are cooking, add onions to other pot. Season with salt and pepper and stir around in melted butter. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, chicken bouillon granules, dried apricots, dates, and mushrooms. Stir and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to simmering and cook until vinegar is reduced and onions are caramelized, about 15 minutes more.
5. Add 1-2 tablespoons more butter to pork chop pan. Turn pork chops to other side and cook an additional 8-10 minutes or until centers are cooked through and no longer pink.** Remove pork chops and allow them to sit for 5-10 minutes so juices can be redistributed.
6. Top pork chops with goat cheese, compote, and chopped grape tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Measure before slicing. Dates should be whole dates and NOT the chopped dates coated in sugar.
**Try to avoid cutting into centers of pork chops to check for doneness. The juices will run out and they will become dry. Use a meat thermometer if you are unsure if they are done. They should reach a temperature of 145 degrees, although I tend to cook mine slightly under and I haven't died yet. Hehe!

3.3.3077