Ask your butcher to cut a pocket in the center of the pork loin and tie it at one-inch intervals, or do this yourself at home.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Toss the apple cubes with the lemon juice to prevent dis-coloration. Then stuff the pork, alternating apple cubes and prunes.
Put the butter and oil in a large casserole with a lid, a Dutch oven or Le Creuset–type cookware is good. Place the casserole on top of the stove over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the loin, turning it so that it browns evenly on all sides. Season with the salt and pepper as you cook it. Remove the fat with a bulb baster.
Pour in the wine and cook in the center of the oven for approximately an hour and a half. Use a meat thermometer to check to be sure it’s done, but not overdone.
Place the loin on a heated platter and finish the sauce by first skimming off any fat produced during the cooking, then bringing the remaining liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the cream, stirring constantly. Serve the sauce separately in a gravy boat.
A cranberry chutney or Scandinavian lingonberries go well with this dish. Serves six to eight.
WALDORF SALAD
Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving; then let it warm slightly. Serve as is or on a bed of greens. This recipe tastes best with a slightly tart apple, and Granny Smiths are also pretty with the green celery.
The original recipe was created by Oscar Tschirky, the maitre d’, not the chef, at New York’s famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It called for equal parts of diced celery and apples combined with mayonnaise and served on lettuce.
Walnuts were a later addition. Faith has altered it still more, and on occasion she replaces the walnuts with pecans, adds seedless green grapes or golden raisins, and often a slight squeeze of lemon. Serves six.
BIG APPLE PANCAKES
Put the milk, butter, and egg into a mixing bowl and beat lightly. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the liquid ingredients, stirring just enough to mix. Add the apple slices and stir. Cook on a griddle or in a frying pan, making sure that the apple slices are evenly distributed in the batter.
Makes sixteen four-inch pancakes.
Serve with warm maple syrup—they don’t need much.
FRENCH APPLE CAKE
Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Grease a cake pan. Toss the apples with the lemon juice and arrange in a spiral on the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan completely, overlapping the slices if necessary. Sprinkle with 1?2 cup sugar and the nutmeg. Cover the apples with 1 tablespoon of flour and driz-zle with the cassis, if using, then with 3 tablespoons of the melted butter. Set the pan aside while preparing the batter.
Sift the 1 cup flour, 1?3 cup of sugar, the baking powder, and salt together. Beat the milk, egg, egg yolk, and 1 tablespoon of the melted butter together. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until you have a thick, smooth batter.
Spread the batter on top of the fruit and bake for twenty-five minutes. Do not overcook. The cake should be light brown on top. Cool slightly and invert on a serving plate.
Serve warm or at room temperature with a small dollop of whipped cream. This cake is also delicious when made with peaches or pears.
MANHATTAN MORSELS
