Maple & Calvados-Glazed Pork Crown Roast with Apple-Chestnut Puree

By ltrodrigu

This simple yet spectacular-looking crown roast earned our Test Kitchens' highest rating. If you can't find Calvados, use a combination of three parts brandy to one part apple cider.

Ingredients

• ROAST:
• 1/2 cup Calvados (apple brandy)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 sage sprig
• 1 (16-rib) crown roast of pork (about 10 1/4-pounds), trimmed
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• PUREE:
• 4 cups peeled Granny Smith apple, chopped (about 1 1/2-pounds)
• 1 cup bottled chestnuts
• 1/2 cup Calvados plus 2 tablespoons, divided (apple brandy)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450°F.

To prepare roast, combine 1/2 cup Calvados, 1/4 cup syrup, and sage sprig in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; discard sage sprig.

Lightly coat roast with cooking spray; rub 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper over roast. Place roast on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush one-fourth of glaze over roast. Bake at 450°F for 25 minutes or until browned.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (do not remove roast from oven); bake at 300°F for 1 hour and 45 minutes, brushing with glaze every 30 minutes. (Cover bones with foil if they start to become too brown).

Increase oven temperature to 400°F (do not remove roast from oven); cook an additional 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in meaty part of roast registers 150°F. Remove roast from oven; let stand 20 minutes before carving.

To prepare puree, while roast bakes, combine apple, chestnuts, 1/2 cup Calvados, sugar, and 2 tablespoons syrup in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until apple is tender. Place mixture in a food processor; add half-and-half, 2 tablespoons Calvados, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and chopped sage. Process 1 minute or until smooth.

Slice vertically between each rib bone. Serve pork with puree.

Wine note: A dish with flavors as complex as this deserves an equally complex wine. With its earthy character, pinot noir is a great foil to maple and chestnut flavors. Plus, compared to other reds, pinot noir has good underlying acidity to balance the richness of roast pork.