An Oldie but a Goodie

Pork and apples get freshened up.

When I was a kid, pork chops with applesauce was a once-a-week dinner standard. Though I still love that simple combination, I now realize that apples don't have to be pureed to accompany pork. In fact, apple chunks and slices, cooked until tender but not so much that they break down, accentuate beautifully the natural sweetness of the meat, lending the final dishes both substance and their trademark sweet-tart flavor.

Pork Chops and Apples with Bourbon-Cider Glaze

Serves 6

Baldwin, Cortland, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Rome, and Spencer are all good baking apples.

¾ cup sweet cider

½ cup bourbon

1½ tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste

6 boneless center-cut pork chops, about ¾ inch thick (about 2½ pounds)

Salt and pepper

1½ teaspoons vegetable oil

2 large baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 12 ¾-inch wedges

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, for garnish

In a medium bowl, mix the cider, bourbon, brown sugar, cinnamon, and hot sauce, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and set aside. Dry the chops well with paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering.

Add the chops to the skillet and cook, without moving them, until well browned on the bottom, about 3½ minutes. Using tongs, turn the chops over and continue cooking until well browned on the second side, about 3½ minutes longer. Transfer the chops to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Return the empty skillet to the burner, add the cider mixture, increase the heat to high, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen and dissolve any stuck bits, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then add any pork juices accumulated on the plate and the apples and continue to boil, turning the apples once or twice, until the apples are just cooked through (slices should be intact and not mushy) and the liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 4 minutes longer.

With a slotted spoon, remove the apples to the plate with the chops. Add butter to the skillet and stir constantly while it melts to incorporate it into the sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Off heat, return the chops to the skillet and turn each one several times to coat with the sauce. Transfer the apples and chops to a platter, top with the remaining sauce, sprinkle with the chives, and serve at once.

Roast Pork Loin with Apples, Onions, and Hard Cider

Serves 6

Note that the cider in this recipe is sparkling hard cider, not the fresh, sweet variety.

Salt, preferably kosher, and pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 medium onions, cut pole to pole into ¾-inch wedges

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 large baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks

2/3 cup sparkling dry hard cider

1/3 cup Calvados or apple brandy

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Set the oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, mix 1½ teaspoons of salt, ¾ teaspoon of pepper, and 2 teaspoons of thyme. Set pork on a cutting board, pat dry with paper towels, tie into a neat cylinder with kitchen twine at 1½-inch intervals, and rub all over with the salt mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Place the roast fat side down in the skillet and cook, turning, until well browned on all sides, about 12 minutes.

Add the onions and garlic and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Turn the vegetables to coat with the oil, put the skillet in the oven, and roast for about 20 minutes. Add the apples, 1/3 cup of the cider, and the remaining teaspoon of thyme, toss the apples and onions to coat and turn the meat over with tongs; continue roasting until center of the meat registers about 135 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Transfer the roast to a carving board, remove the twine, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 15 minutes (center of loin should register about 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer). With a slotted spoon, remove the onions and apples to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Meanwhile, use oven mitts to transfer the blazing-hot skillet to a burner set to high. Add the Calvados, allow it to warm for about 10 seconds, and carefully wave a lit match over pan until the Calvados ignites. Allow Calvados to burn for about 15 seconds, then add the remaining 1/3 cup of cider (which will extinguish the Calvados).

Bring the liquid to a boil, and continue boiling until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and any accumulated juices from the onions and apples and the meat, stir to mix, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Meanwhile, cut the meat into ½-inch slices and arrange over the onions and apples on the serving platter. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve at once.

Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.