[…] sous vide machine. I’ve already touted how much I love it on the blog so many times (see here, for example), so I won’t beat a dead horse, but suffice it to say I think this is an […]
This recipe for seared pork chops paired with a balsamic tarragon glaze and cheesy orzo will quickly become your winter “go-to” seared pork chops recipe!
Sous vide has quickly become my new favorite way of cooking meats. I mean it is so simple. Does it sound terrifyingly like something only a professionally trained chef could do at their Michelin star restaurant? Yes. Is it actually a simple technique that only takes one or two tries to get the hang of before you’ll be sous vide-ing up a storm in your own at-home kitchen? Absolutely!
Related: Perfect Grilled Steaks with Cherry Tomato Salad
Last year for my birthday, my amazing husband bought me this Anova sous vide machine. In the realm of sous vide machines, it is 1) very reasonably priced, 2) well made, and 3) easy to use. Sous vide means “under vacuum” in French, and it essentially means placing your meat (or other food items) in an airtight plastic bag and cooking it in a temperature-controlled water bath. This allows for two amazing things: 1) your meat ends up super tender and you can finish it however you’d like: on the grill, in a cast iron skillet, in the oven – whatever you prefer; and 2) it frees up your time to cook side dishes and other accompaniments for your meal (or for you to spend those precious hours with your family instead of slaving away in the kitchen). You can check out the specs on my favorite sous vide machine here:
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Now it’s your turn: what is your favorite thing to cook sous vide? Share with me by commenting below!
Seared Pork Chops with Balsamic Tarragon Glaze and Cheesy Orzo
2016-10-07 19:24:11
Serves 4
These seared pork chops are heavenly when paired with tangy balsamic glaze, fresh tarragon, and cheesy orzo.
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
1 hr 20 min
Total Time
1 hr 40 min
For pork chops
- 4 one-inch thick center cut bone-in pork chops
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- 4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 6 sprigs tarragon, divided
For orzo
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 tbsp. white wine
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 cup asiago cheese, grated
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
For sauce
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 sprigs tarragon
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. tarragon, minced
Instructions
- Heat sous vide to 144 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Generously salt and pepper pork chops. Using enough plastic food saver bags as necessary to avoid crowding, season the pork chops with 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and 1 sprig of tarragon per pork chop. (For example, if you use 1-gallon food saver bags, you could put 2 pork chops with 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons balsamic, and 2 tarragon sprigs per bag.) Reserve extra tarragon sprigs and butter. Remove air from bags and seal.
- When sous vide comes to temperature, place bags in water bath and cook for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare orzo and sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add orzo and cook, stirring often, until orzo begins to brown, about 4-6 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the saucepan. Add chicken stock and cook over medium heat until orzo is cooked through and the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to sit, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add asiago and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Taste orzo and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- To prepare sauce, melt butter and olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Cook shallot for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add tarragon sprigs and balsamic vinegar and allow to simmer and reduce over medium heat until mixture is thick and easily coats the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat off and allow sauce to sit while you cook pork chops as below. Stir in minced tarragon to the balsamic glaze just before serving.
- To finish dish, remove pork chops from their bags. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add 2 pork chops to the skillet. Add remaining tarragon sprigs around the pork chops.. Sear pork chops until golden brown and crispy, about 1-2 minutes, basting with butter from the bottom of the skillet. Flip pork chops and sear for 1 minute more, continuing to baste. Remove to plate and repeat with remaining 2 pork chops. To serve, plate a spoonful of orzo and top with a pork chop and balsamic glaze. Enjoy!
The Charming Detroiter http://thecharmingdetroiter.com/
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Thanks sharing this article and help us information
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It’s a wonderful recipe! The prepared dish looks very appetizing! But in addition to the recipe, I am interested in your review of Anova sous vide machine. Before, I used other brands, but I heard a lot of positive feedback about Anova. What are your impressions of it now –two years after using it? Have you had any problems with it?
Thank you for your comment, Michael! We continue to enjoy using our Anova frequently, it’s pretty much the only way we cook steak these days! It has held up well over the past few years and I would definitely continue to recommend this brand to anyone interested in getting into the sous vide technique!
OMG! Just by the pics, got me so hungry! Can’t believe it could be this easy. Thanks for the share. xx
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Kandja, thanks so much for your wonderful comment! If you end up giving the recipe a try, let me know what you think! I’m seriously obsessed with sous vide – I can’t believe how easy it is!