6ouncescauliflowerany variety, picked into large florets and sliced ½ in
¼cuppickled young crab applesplus ¼ cup of their pickling liquid (recipe follows)
½cupmeat stocksuch as pork or chicken
1tablespoonunsalted butterchilled
To garnish: Sprigs of fresh purslaneyoung, tender parts only
2tablespooncalvadosoptional
Kosher salt and pepper
Grapeseedlard, or canola oil, for sauteing
Instructions
In a large saute pan, (I used a 10in size). Heat 2 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil or lard until lightly smoking. Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper, then sear in the pan for 2-3 minutes on each side until well browned. By now the pork should be medium rare. If you like your pork a little less done, (trichinosis is a thing of the past) allow the pork to rest in a warm place while you cook the cauliflower and make the sauce. If you want your pork more done, place it in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with a roasting rack and cook for 10 minutes more.
Begin making the crab apple sauce by deglazing the pan with 3 tablespoon of calvados, scraping up the browned bits. Add the crab apples, their pickling juice, and the stock, and reduce on medium high heat until the sauce is reduced by half and is thickened enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Reserve the sauce until it's time to plate.
To cook the cauliflower, heat a large saute pan with 3 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil or lard until lightly smoking. Add the cauliflower, making sure that the slices don't overlap in the pan. Season the cauliflower with salt and pepper and Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the cauliflower is golden brown and caramelized.
Plating the dish
Season the purslane lighlty with some oil, salt and pepper. Reheat the crab apple sauce and whisk in the butter, heating until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. On each of two preheated dinner plates, arrange a few slices of cauliflower.
Slice the pork tenderloin on the bias into 2 ounce slices and arrange around the cauliflower. Spoon some of the crab apple sauce over the pork on each plate. Finish by garnishing with the purslane.