Glam up the traditional pairing of pork and apple with this recipe from my 'personal favourites for entertaining' pile.

Ingredients

Lemon apple sauce

• 25 grams butter
• ½ onion, peeled and very finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 1-2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and grated
• ¾ cup white wine
• 1 cup good quality chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon soft butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• grated rind 1 small lemon

Pork

• 2 pork eye fillets
• 50 grams butter
• 1 cup fresh broiche or raisin bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ginger and coriander
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• flour for coating
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons butter or olive oil

Method

Lemon apple sauce

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the onion, garlic and grated apple. Toss over the heat for about 3-5 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half again. Blend the softened butter and flour together and whisk quickly into the sauce. Add the lemon rind and season with salt and white pepper, if wished.

Pork

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Tie the pork fillet at 4-5cm intervals, if wished. Brown the pork in a dash of oil in a heavy-based frying-pan. Transfer the browned pork to an oven tray. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes before carving.
3. While the pork is cooking or standing, add the butter to the frying pan and toss in the breadcrumbs and spices. Cook in the butter until crispy. Set aside.
4. Serve on Quick Puy Lentils with seasonal vegetables and the Lemon Apple Sauce with the spiced crumbs scattered on top. If wished, add a few pan-fried apple slices cooked in butter until brown to garnish.

Quick Puy Lentils

1. Simmer puy lentils in three times the amount of water or half water and stock with the bay leaf for 20-25 minutes or until very tender, and season with salt and pepper. Drain.