"Kafka-esque" Roast Pork Loin with Roasted Apple Compote

Barbara Kafka is an award-winning cookbook writer who has written amazing books. Some of her best are a book about cooking gourmet foods with a microwave (Microwave Gourmet), a fabulous cookbook about roasting (Roasting-A Simple Art), and a great book about cooking vegetables (Vegetable Love). I was first turned on to Barbara when I ate a roasted chicken made from one of her recipes that tasted like I never imagined chicken could taste. My mom, who is an excellent cook, has never quite got the hang of cooking chicken. Maybe it was the fear of E.Coli, but when Mom would cook chicken she would throw it in a pan and put it in a 350 degree oven until it was dry as a bone. Her roast beefs and steaks and turkeys are perfect, but chicken is not her thing. (Don't anyone tell her - thank God she doesn't use the internet)!

Kafka is an advocate for high temperature roasting (500 degrees) which leaves the meat amazingly tender and juicy. I made her Roast Pork Loin with Roasted Apple Compote last weekend (from Roasting-A Simple Art) and it was good. I say good because I've been dealing with getting used to a new oven in the house I just moved into. I noticed that things seemed to be taking longer to cook than I am accustomed to so I purchased an in-oven thermometer. It confirmed that my oven was running cooler than the setting. I figured out how to adjust it the day I roasted the pork loin. I think I adjusted the temperature too high though because the pork was cooked a little more than I was expecting. Nonetheless it was delicious, and the roasted apple compote on the side is amazing. This is a really easy meal to make with a big-flavor pay-off in my opinion. I served it with a simple salad and some boiled fingerling potatoes. I did mix the optional cream and mustard into the roasted apples and it was amazing! Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Roast Pork Loin with Roasted Apple Compote
serves 6

• 2 1/4-pound boned and rolled pork loin (7 inches long)
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 4 large (2 pounds) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil or other neutral oil
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, optional
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Place rack on second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place loin in a 14x12x2-inch roasting pan. Rub salt all over loin. Smear mustard over top of loin. Roast for 20 minutes. Move the loin around with a wooden spatula so it won't stick. Roast 15 minutes more. Add the apples coated with lemon juice and oil, and collected juices. Spread out around the loin. Roast 10 minutes. Turn apples gently as they are soft. Roast 10 minutes more. In total the loin should roast for 50 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. The meat might still be slightly pink, but this is fine. Don't overcook the roast, or it will be dry and unappealing. The apples will be dark brown and will have absorbed all the good juices.

Remove loin to a platter. Snip off strings. If using cream and mustard, combine and stir carefully into apples. Let meat rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Carefully remove apples with a metal spatula and place around roast. Deglaze the pan just to clean it as all the good bits are in the apples.