Pork Tenderloin With Apples: A French Classic!
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One of my favorite fall dishes is pork tenderloin with apples, or Porc a la Normande. This classic French dish features tender pork cooked in a creamy apple and Calvados (apple brandy) sauce, with sweet, sautéed apples and onions on the side. It’s ready in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy fall evenings.
About This Pork Tenderloin Apple Recipe
This pork with apples dish 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 while you make the cream sauce. Since pork loins are not really very large, it finishes in the oven in less than 15 minutes.
What does “a la Normande” mean?
“A la Normande” refers to the dish’s origin in Normandy, France, a region renowned for its apple orchards and apple-based culinary creations. While “Pork Normandy” is a common way to refer to the dish in English, the more accurate French term is “Porc à la Normande” or simply “Porc Normande.”
What apples are good for cooking with pork?
When cooking with pork, you’ll want to choose apples that complement the meat’s flavor and can withstand the cooking process without turning into mush. Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp apples are particularly good with pork. If you like a bit more tartness, Granny Smith apples would work as well.
Why should I sear a pork tenderloin before baking?
Searing the pork tenderloin helps optimize flavor without overcooking the roast. It caramelizes the seasoning or marinade and creates a delicious crust on the outside. It also helps seal in the juices before you bake it.
How to Make Pork Tenderloin With Apples and Onions
You’ll need the following ingredients for this Pork Normandy recipe:
- 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
Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F and seasoning your pork loin with kosher salt and pepper.
Melt two Tablespoons of butter in a heavy skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the apples and sugar to the skillet and saute until golden brown. Transfer apples to a plate to keep warm.
Wipe the skillet with a paper towel and melt two more tablespoons of butter in the skillet over medium-heat. Sear the seasoned pork loin for 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown all over.
Put pork on a small, foil-lined baking sheet and finish cooking the oven until the internal temperature of pork reaches 145 degrees F, about 8-10 minutes.
Melt the last tablespoon of butter in the same skillet (no need to wipe it out) and add the shallots and thyme. Saute for two minutes.
Add the Calvados and bring to a boil until reduced to a glaze, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the cream and cider, and boil until the mixture thickens to a sauce consistency, about three minutes.
Return the apples to the sauce to heat them up.
When the pork is done, let it rest for 2-3 minutes, then slice and serve with apples and sauce on a serving platter.
I hope you enjoy this sweet pork loin apple recipe this fall – or any time of year!
Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Brandy, Porc a la Normande
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds 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
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!
What a delicious looking meal! I love the apple and pork flavors together.
Such a comforting meal! I love pork and apples together!
This is a comfort food dinner everyone will love! Looks delicious!
and perfect for autumn!
I love anything Normandy, and this looks perfect! Now I’m craving pork and apples, this is beautiful!
Pork and apples is a great combination for fall!
Thank you!
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! 🙂
thank you Christina!
I’m a little bit obsessed with French Culinary technique. Thanks for reminding me to dust off my Le Cordon Bleu textbooks.
It is the basis of all cooking right?
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!
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!
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!
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!
Definitely a 5 star recipe at our house!
Sorry I missed this! thank you!
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
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!
Made this for Sunday dinner and my 2 official tasters (hubby and son) both repeatedly said how good it was (without any hints or prompting from me haha!). Everything came out perfect following the recipe instructions. This is stylish enough for guests or a special occasion, and pork tenderloin is such a forgiving, tender roast and inexpensive as well!
So glad I found this recipe!
Thanks so much for your lovely review!
Looks really good! I’ll mae something similar with my pork loin!