Steal of the Week: Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops

I mentioned that I would be working with an incredible 18-year aged balsamic vinegar this weekend so I went on a hunt for a recipe that heavily features the ingredient. Then I remembered that back when my husband and I were dating, I had made him a beautiful and tasty balsamic pork chop dish for a night I wanted to impress him by cooking for him (Guess it worked!). Therefore, I was delighted to find the recipe again (originally from Gourmet 2006) on Epicurious.com. Their recipe for balsamic-glazed pork chops was exactly how I remembered it!
Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops

• 4 (3/4-inch-thick) center-cut pork chops (about 2 lb total)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 oz small shallots (about 8), quartered and peeled, leaving root ends intact
• 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Balsamic-Glazed-Pork-Chops-233982#ixzz1SMdQdAED

Pat pork dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pork (in 2 batches if necessary) along with shallots, turning pork over once and stirring shallots occasionally, until pork is browned and shallots are golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes total. Transfer pork with tongs to a plate (here's what mine looked like:)

and add vinegar, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to shallots in skillet. Cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved and liquid is thickened slightly, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat to moderate, then return pork along with any juices accumulated on plate to skillet and turn 2 or 3 times to coat with sauce. Cook, turning over once, until pork is just cooked through, about 3 minutes total. Transfer pork to a platter and boil sauce until thickened and syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour sauce over pork.

Times like these make me wish there was a scratch and sniff for food pictures! The flavor is so incredible for such simple ingredients. My only slight misstep was I may have cooked the pork a little longer than I should have, not getting the true pink center I would usually want but they were still moist and delicious. I decided to continue to keep it simple and just served them with brown rice and edamame:

Definitely a dish that will impress!