Delia Smith’s pork with apples and Calvados is two thick chops browned in a frying pan, flambéed with apple brandy, then simmered in dry cider. Caramelised Cox’s apple and crème fraîche finish the dish. It serves 2 and takes about 35 minutes.
Smith writes in The Delia Collection: Pork that Calvados “seems to have within it all the concentrated aroma and flavour of an apple loft.” Apple brandy reinforces the fresh apple, so you get double the flavour from one fruit.
The apples go into the pan first with the shallots and sugar, then come out before the chops go in. That separation stops them turning to mush during the longer cooking time. They return right at the end, warm but still holding their shape.
Delia Smith Pork With Apples And Calvados
Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes25
minutes645
kcalA stovetop supper for two from The Delia Collection: Pork, built around the French pairing of pork, apple and apple brandy. Smith suggests new potatoes and fine green beans alongside.
Ingredients
2 thick pork chops
salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 large Cox’s apple, cored and cut into 1cm (½ inch) dice with the skin left on
2 tablespoons Calvados
1 tablespoon oil
10g (½ oz) butter
1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 level dessertspoon golden caster sugar
200ml (7 fl oz) dry cider
1½ level tablespoons crème fraîche
Directions
- Caramelise the apples: Heat half the oil and half the butter in a medium-sized solid frying pan over a medium heat. Add the apples and shallots with the sugar, turn the heat up high, and toss everything around until caramelised and tinged brown at the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes. Use a draining spoon to transfer them on to a plate to cool.
- Brown the chops: Pat the chops dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the oil and butter to the pan and, keeping the heat high, brown the chops for about 5 minutes on each side.
- Flambé: Heat the Calvados in a small saucepan and, when it’s hot, set light to it and pour it carefully over the browned chops. Have a large pan lid handy just in case.
- Make the sauce: When the flames have died down, pour the cider into the pan. Lower the heat to medium and allow the sauce to bubble and reduce for about 15 minutes, or until it has turned syrupy.
- Finish: Stir in the crème fraîche and reduce the heat. Return the caramelised apples to the pan to heat through briefly, then taste to check the seasoning. Serve the chops with the sauce poured over them.
Notes
- Smith says this recipe can be doubled for four people using a larger pan.
- A medium-sized solid frying pan is specified: avoid non-stick if you plan to flambé, because the high flame can damage the coating.
- Cox’s apples hold their shape when cooked because they’re firm-fleshed. Softer eating apples will collapse.
FAQs
What is Calvados and can I substitute it?
Calvados is French apple brandy from Normandy, distilled from cider apples and aged in oak barrels. It’s what gives this dish its depth: raw apple provides freshness, but Calvados adds a concentrated, warm apple flavour that cooking alone can’t replicate.
If you can’t find Calvados, brandy is the closest swap because it still brings the alcohol punch that helps deglaze the pan. Apple juice won’t work as a substitute here because it lacks the alcohol needed for the flambé step and doesn’t reduce to the same intensity.
Is the flambé step actually necessary?
The flambé isn’t just for show. Lighting the Calvados burns off the raw alcohol taste and leaves behind a deeper, caramelised flavour that you can’t get by simply simmering it. The brief burst of high heat also helps build fond on the chops, adding another layer to the sauce.
If you’re nervous about open flames, you can skip the flambé and pour the Calvados directly into the pan with the cider. You’ll lose some of that concentrated flavour, but the dish still works. Just let it bubble for an extra 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Why does Smith remove the apples before cooking the chops?
The apples only need 6 to 8 minutes to caramelise. The chops need 10 minutes of browning plus 15 minutes of simmering in the sauce. If you leave the apples in for all of that, they’d turn into purée.
By removing them and returning them at the end, you get distinct, golden apple pieces with a bit of bite sitting in the finished sauce. Smith uses this same technique of cooking components separately in her chicken with sherry vinegar, where the sauce builds in stages around the meat.
Can I use a different apple variety?
Smith specifies Cox’s and tells you to leave the skin on. Cox’s Orange Pippin is a dual-purpose apple that holds its shape when cooked, which matters here because you want neat dice, not apple sauce. Braeburn is the closest alternative: firm flesh, good flavour, and it won’t collapse in 6 minutes of high heat.
Avoid Bramley cooking apples for this recipe. They’re designed to break down into a fluffy purée, which is the opposite of what you want. Golden Delicious would be too bland and watery to stand up to the Calvados.
How do I know when the sauce has reduced enough?
Smith says “until it has turned syrupy.” That means it should coat the back of a spoon and leave a clear trail when you drag your finger through it. At the start, the cider looks thin and pale. After 15 minutes of steady bubbling, it should be glossy, golden-brown and roughly half its original volume.
Don’t rush this step by cranking the heat. High heat makes the sauce reduce unevenly and can scorch the pan drippings. A steady medium bubble gives you a smooth, rich sauce every time.
What should I serve alongside this?
Smith is specific: new potatoes and fine green beans. The potatoes soak up the Calvados and cider sauce. The green beans add a clean crunch that cuts through the richness of the crème fraîche.
For a different side, the liver casserole already contains its own potatoes if you want a second Delia main on the table. A simple watercress salad also works well: the peppery leaves balance the sweetness of the caramelised apple.
