Comfort Food

I can be terribly unadventurous when it comes to cooking. I've cooked Fillet of Pork many times over the years, along with Belly it's one of our favourite porky cuts, but I always cook it the same way....

Perhaps it's because I can't think of a better way to keep a delicate fillet of pork tender and juicy than by dousing it in generous quantities of Cider Brandy and Cream. Perhaps it's because it's a pointless exercise trying to better a classic, perfect recipe. Or perhaps it's because my limited culinary skills were honed at the Bone-Idle school of cooking! Comfort Food from deep within my Comfort Zone. Yes, that's probably it...

Fillet of Pork - Yummy Basque Style

Cut the Pork Fillet into 4-6 chunky medallions and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Into a pan with them to brown in a little Butter. Not too hot or the butter will burn.

When both sides are browned, remove to a bowl and keep warm. Add more butter if necessary and throw in a couple of peeled, cored and thickly sliced Dessert Apples, we used James Grieves from the orchard. These need browning a little too. Return the Pork to the pan.

At this point it's worth pre-warning your partner/guests about what you're about to do...

Add a good slosh of Cider Brandy to the hot pan, and with a steady hand and nerves of steel, set the whole sizzling caboodle on fire! Stand well back to avoid singed eyebrows, shake the pan vigorously emitting loud comedy evil laughter.

When the flames have died down, add another slosh of a sweetish West-Country cider. Cook this hard until reduced to not very much. By now your tub of cream will be quivering in anticipation, so don't delay and add as much as your arteries can handle. Finally, add a good tablespoon of an appropriate chopped herb (we used Thyme, but Parsley is probably better if yours hasn't gone to seed like ours has!).

Cook until the cream has reduced a little and the pork is cooked right through. Serve with Mash, Vegetables, and a cool glass of the remaining cider.

The Cider Brandy we used was Saizar Sagardoz, from the Basque region of Northern Spain. Not easy to find in the UK, but Calvados is a good choice too, or you could be patriotic and use some of Julian Temperleys excellent Somerset Cider Brandy.