With Bramley Apples and #LoveBramley

Regular readers will know of my love for Bramley Apples, as a cook and recipe developer, I think they are the best apples for cooking – for taste and texture. So, when Bramley Apples UK contacted me recently as asked if I would like to be part of a new campaign for British food writers and bloggers, for a whole year, I was delighted to accept. So, why are Bramley apples so good for cooking? Unlike eating apples such as Granny Smith, Braeburn and Golden Delicious, Bramley apples are unique insofar as they contain a higher acid content and lower sugar levels to produce a stronger, tangy tasting apple whose flavour is retained when cooked. As I said before, the texture is also very important to cooks, and Bramley apples are again unique in producing a ‘melt in the mouth’ moist texture when cooked, whilst eating apples become almost rubbery and chewy when cooked or baked. Today’s seasonal recipe for Bramley Apple and Pork Tenderloin in Cream Sauce is a perfect example of how well apples and meat go together so well in savoury recipes.

My Bramley apple recipe for Bramley Apple and Pork Tenderloin in Cream Sauce was developed especially for Bramley apples and is a seasonal gem;  using British free-range pork tenderloin fillets along with Bramley apples, Yorkshire onions and home-grown rosemary, all bound together in a Suffolk cider creamy sauce, this recipe is a classic winter warmer, and yet is elegant enough to be served for a dinner party main course, or as a celebratory festive luncheon or supper dish. The best thing about this recipe is how easy it is to make too…..you can start the marinade procedure off the night (or morning) before you need to cook it, and then just pop in the oven forty-five minutes before you intend to serve it. The Bramley apples in the recipe create the base for a delicious fluffy and creamy sauce, which is perfect for the accompanying seasonal vegetables and steamed (or mashed) potatoes.

One cold and frosty day last week, I served this recipe for Bramley Apple and Pork Tenderloin in Cream Sauce with seasonal Savoy cabbage, carrots, steamed potatoes and chunky home-made Bramley apple sauce – recipe to follow. The recipe serves six people, so as there was only the two of us, I popped the leftovers in the freezer for an easy future dinner. You could also use the leftovers as a fabulous pie filling, anything in pastry gets my vote and this would make a wonderful pie for any family supper. The rosemary works so well with this dish, but, I have also served it with sage too, and that works like a dream with the pork and Bramley apples.  If you’d like to see who else is baking and cooking with Bramley apples, or just check out some recipes, then why not pop over to the Bramley apple Pinterest Board or their Facebook page. My recipe for this simple recipe is shared below and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Karen 

Bramley Apple and Pork Tenderloin in Cream Sauce

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Serves	6
Prep time	8 hours, 15 minutes
Cook time	40 minutes
Total time	8 hours, 55 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish
Misc	Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

An elegant and very simple dinner party dish which uses Bramley apples, cider and rosemary for taste and flavour. You can prepare this in advance and it only takes about 30 to 40 minutes to cook. Serve with extra apple sauce and lots of fresh seasonal vegetables.

Ingredients

• 750g tp 800g pork tenderloin fillet
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
• 4 to 5 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely diced
• 4 to 5 Bramley apples (cut into quarters and cored - no need to peel)
• 50g melted butter
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• sea salt and black pepper
• 150mls dry apple cider
• 4 tablespoons crème fraiche

Optional

• 1 tablespoon calvados apple brandy

Note

An elegant and very simple dinner party dish which uses Bramley apples, cider and rosemary for taste and flavour. You can prepare this in advance and it only takes about 30 to 40 minutes to cook. Serve with extra apple sauce and lots of fresh seasonal vegetables.

Directions

Step 1	Start this the night or the morning before you want to serve it: make slits all over the pork fillet and push a sliver of garlic and a sprig of rosemary into each slit. Place the diced onion and quartered apples into a large oven-proof baking dish and sit the pork on top of it. Scatter the remaining rosemary over the pork.
Step 2	Mix the melted butter with the apple cider vinegar and pour it over the pork. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper, cover with cling film and allow to marinade for up to 8 hours in the fridge.
Step 3	Take the pork out of the fridge about half an hour before cooking and pre-heat oven to 220C/450F/Gas mark 7.
Step 4	Place the pork in the oven and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until it is golden brown on the outside, but just pink inside. Take the pork out of the oven and add the cider, Calvados if using and crème fraiche, mix with the apples and onions and place it all back in the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Step 5	Remove it from the oven again and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes covered loosely on foil. Cut into thick slices and serve with the sauce spooned over with seasonal fresh vegetables, steamed potatoes and apple sauce.

MORE Bramley Apple Recipes on Lavender and Lovage

Apple Pie Muffins

Duvet Apples & Frosty Mornings! Festive Baked Apples with Mincemeat and Honey

Apple & Dorset Blue Vinny Scone Bread

Apple, Bramble & Pear Tray Bake 

Harvest Apple Cake

Sausage and Apple Casserole in Cider

Disclaimer: Commissioned work with Bramley Apples UK

As this recipe has Rosemary in it, I am adding it to Cooking with Herbs for this month:

Bay, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme