Honey Apricot Pork Chops

Dave got a small bag of apricots from his sister's tree last week.  They were about the size of a large walnut and were the sweetest apricots I had ever tasted.  They were very ripe, so I knew I had to use them up quickly before they spoiled.  

When I was a kid, my mom's friend made this luscious dish called Apricot Chicken.  She would put a bunch of chicken pieces in a baking dish, smother with a jar of apricot jam, and roast it in the oven.  It's one of my favorites to this day.  I wanted to make that for dinner, but I had pork chops in the fridge that I needed to make. So I looked for some recipes that could combine apricots and pork chops.  I found one at allrecipes.com and adapted it to my tastes and what I had on hand.  The sweet apricots and honey complimented the juicy pork chop perfectly. 

Sweet Apricot Pork Chops

2 thick cut boneless pork chops
salt and pepper
1 tbl grapeseed oil (or other high heat oil)
1/3 cup local honey
12 fresh apricots, pitted and cut into wedges
1/2 c sweet white wine (like a Riesling)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbl fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons

Preheat a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat.  Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and black pepper. Add oil to the skillet and heat.  When oil is ready, add pork chops until and sear until browned on both sides, about 3-5 minutes on each side.  Stir in honey, apricots, wine, and garlic.  Simmer until the pork is tender and no longer pink inside (145* internal temperature), about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with basil, and serve topped with the apricots and pan juices.