Pork Roast With Apple Tart and Cider Sauce Recipe

Have your butcher French the roast and save the chin bone for the sauce. Prepare the apple tarts ahead of time, and reheat before serving with the roast.

Ingredients

Brine
10 bone rib roast of pork
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 bay leaves
10 whole cloves
1 whole star anise
10 small allspice
5 smashed garlic

Apple Tart
2 sheets of puff pastry, cut into 3 1/2" circles
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white wine
4 honey crisp apples, peeled and sliced
3 leeks, split and sliced
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water)
2 tablespoons chopped sage

Pork Sauce
pork roast trimming
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 quart chicken stock
1 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Pecan Crust
2 cups toasted chopped pecans
3 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon chopped sage

Instructions

1. To make the apple tart, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter in a pot, and add leeks, wine and a pinch of salt. Stew leeks until tender, and stir in sage. Remove from heat.
2. Brush pastry circles with egg wash, and place two tablespoons stewed leek in the center of each tart. Arrange 4-5 apple slices on top of leeks. Bake tarts for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden. Refrigerate and reheat when ready for serving.
3. To make brine, bring all ingredients to a rolling boil in 2 quarts water. Turn off heat, and let brine infuse for 30 minutes. Add 2 1/2 quarts of ice to brine for immediate use.
4. Submerge pork in brine for 4-5 hours. Remove from brine and allow to sit on a roasting rack for 30 minutes to dry. Allow absorbed brine to diffuse.
5. To make the pecan crust, mix mustard molasses and sage together. Brush roast with mixture, and roll roast in chopped pecans.
6. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Roast pork uncovered in the oven until internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F (about 2 hours). Remove from oven, and cover with foil. Let roast sit for 20 minutes before cutting.
7. To make sauce, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss pork trimmings with flour and roast on a sheet pan with onions, celery and carrots until golden brown. Transfer roasted trimmings and vegetables to a sauce pot.
8. Deglaze pan using apple cider. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, peppercorns and apple cider vinegar to the pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain and reduce to sauce consistency. For a richer sauce, whisk 2 tablespoons whole butter just before serving. Slice roast, and serve with sauce and apple tarts.