The $10 French Masterpiece: How to Make Restaurant-Quality Normandy Pork at Home

Despite French cuisine being mostly considered a bit complicated for a quick dinner at home, some of its most famous traditional dishes are actually easier to make than you have thought.

Take the Normandy pork as an example — apart from having the simplest ingredients and easy instructions, it’s also able to offer you the unique taste mixing the sourness of apples and tenderness of cream sauce.

Here’s what you need: 500–600 g of pork (preferably neck or loin), 2–3 sweet-and-sour apples, 1 onion, 200 ml of 20-30% cream, 30 g of butter, 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tsp of mustard, salt and black pepper to taste, thyme (optional).

Cut the pork into large pieces, lightly pound them, and quickly sear them in a mixture of butter and vegetable oil until golden brown; it’s important not to overcook them, but simply to “seal in” the juices. Set them aside. In the same pan, fry the onion until soft, add the apple slices, and let them brown slightly to develop a light caramel flavor.

Put the meat back in the pan, add the garlic, mustard, a little thyme, salt, and pepper.

Pour in the cream, stir gently, and simmer covered over low heat for about 20–25 minutes; the sauce will gradually thicken, the meat will become tender, and the apples will soak up the juices. If necessary, let the sauce evaporate a little without the lid at the end.