Pork loin with Apples is classic French dish, that’s ready in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy fall evenings.
Pork a la Normande, Pork with Apples and Brandy.
Culinary French
One of the classes we had to take in cooking school was “Culinary French”. Since our courses were all based on classic French cooking techniques, it was important for us to be able to understand culinary terms. Indeed, many of those terms have become a part of our everyday cooking, like sauté, julienne, and (thanks to Starbucks) frappé, and my favorite, chiffonade. But we also learned to identify ingredients in a dish by its name. Florentine refers to a dish containing spinach, like Eggs Florentine. A dish with the name Niçoise, like this Salade Niçoise, will most likely contain anchovies and olives, while Lyonnaise will always contain onions. (As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn commission on qualifying purchases)
What does “a la Normade” mean?
Porc a la Normande, or Pork with Apples is another dish whose name indicates the ingredients contained in the recipe.
Any dish that is Normande, will most certainly be made with apples, apple cider, and very likely with cream. Calvados, is a French apple brandy, used to deglaze the pan, adds another note of apple flavor. Substitute brandy for the Calvados if you choose.
How to make pork with apples
This Pork with Apple dish is ready in under 30 minutes and is really quite simple. Saute apples in butter, sear the pork loin on all sides in a cast-iron skillet, then finish cooking it in the oven. Since pork loins are not really very large, it finishes in the oven in less than 15 minutes.
Pork with Apples and Brandy, Porc a la Normande
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- 5 Tablespoons butter
- 4 Golden Delicious apples, (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, and sliced about 1/3 inch thick
- 1 teaspoon sugar, for Keto, substitute your favorite sweetener.
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 cup Calvados, or other apple brandy
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Season pork loin with kosher salt and pepper.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a heavy skillet, over a medium-high heat. Add apples and sugar to skillet and saute until golden brown. Transfer apples to a plate to keep warm.
- Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Melt 2 more Tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-heat. Sear seasoned pork loin for 1-2 minutes, per side, until golden brown all over. Put pork on a small foil-line baking sheet and finish cooking in hot oven until internal temperature of pork reaches a temperature of 145 degrees F. about 8-10 minutes.
- Melt last Tablespoon of butter in the same skillet. (no need to wipe it out) Add shallots and thyme and saute 2 minutes. Add Calvados or brandy, and bring to a boil until reduced to a glaze, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in cream and cider; boil until mixture thickens to a sauce consistency, about 3 minutes.
- Return apples to sauce to heat. Remove pork from oven and let rest 2-3 minutes. Serve with sauce
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Mimi says
Now I’m ready for winter with this pork dish! I have calvados, and pretty much only use it when I make this sort of preparation. I’ll probably have the bottle for ten more years!
Jessica Fasano Formicola says
What a delicious looking meal! I love the apple and pork flavors together.
Stephanie says
Such a comforting meal! I love pork and apples together!
Erin Dee says
This is a comfort food dinner everyone will love! Looks delicious!
Cynthia says
and perfect for autumn!
Angie says
I love anything Normandy, and this looks perfect! Now I’m craving pork and apples, this is beautiful!
Cynthia says
Pork and apples is a great combination for fall!
Cynthia says
Thank you!
Christina says
Love pairing apples and pork! This dish is a perfect quick and easy weeknight meal, but fancy enough for weekend company! Looks lovely on that serving dish! Now I’m hungry! 🙂
Cynthia says
thank you Christina!
Laura says
I’m a little bit obsessed with French Culinary technique. Thanks for reminding me to dust off my Le Cordon Bleu textbooks.
Cynthia says
It is the basis of all cooking right?
Danielle says
OMG this sounds absolutely amazing. I am always looking for new pork ideas. I am usually not a fan of the sweeter pork chop dishes, but this sounds too good to pass up. This looks like the perfect cuddling up by the fire comforting dish!
Carol says
Made this dish for the second time this evening. Absolutely delicious. The first time I made it I used dried thyme, but this time used fresh. What a difference! It does take me a lot longer than 5 minutes to do the prep, but worth the effort!
Sara Baker says
Just found this (better late than never?!) and had to let you know how much we enjoyed this tonight. Hubby is one of the picky eaters, but he commented 3 times on what great flavor this had. Thanks for sharing a yummy meal idea! Now I’m off to explore your other recipes!
Cynthia says
Thank you Sara! I would love it if you could leave a star rating for it! Google looks more favorably on recipes with 5 star ratings! Thank you so much!
Sara says
Definitely a 5 star recipe at our house!
Cynthia says
Sorry I missed this! thank you!
Beck and Bulow says
This recipe was delicious even without pre-marinading it. As one person suggested, I added a 1/4 tsp. of Zaatar, but otherwise, I made no changes. My son devoured it, and he’s usually not a fan of pork tenderloin. The buttery sauce was perfectly seasoned and garlicky and please visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com
Cynthia says
I haven’t tried it with Zaatar, but that would definitely not be a traditional French dish called Porc a la Normande. Glad you liked it!