Baby Artichoke Calvados Saute

This is a Normandy-inspired saute that brings together three classic French flavor partners: pork, apple, and Calvados. Baby artichoke hearts add an earthy, slightly nutty note that plays beautifully against the sweetness of the apples and the herbal punch of sage.

Clarified butter (ghee) handles the high heat better than whole butter without browning, which matters here because you’re building a pan with multiple components at different stages. The pork goes in first until golden, then gets set aside warm while the artichoke halves take their turn in the same pan. Then the apples, scallions, garlic, sage, and Calvados go in together — the Calvados deglazes the pan and carries all the caramelized flavor from the bottom of the skillet. A splash of chicken stock moistens everything, and the pork returns for a final toss.

Store the trimmed artichoke halves in acidulated water (cold water with a squeeze of lemon) while you prep everything else so they don’t brown.

Pro Tips

• Keep the pork in a warm oven while you work through the artichokes and sauce; finishing together at the end keeps everything at temperature
• Baby artichokes need more trimming than you might expect: pull off the tough outer leaves, trim the stem, and halve them; remove any fuzzy choke if present
• Add the Calvados off direct flame if you’re cooking on gas — it will ignite briefly; this is normal and the alcohol burns off fast
• Don’t skip the sage leaf garnish; fresh sage crisped in butter is a finishing touch that actually adds flavor

Variations

• Substitute hard apple cider for Calvados if you don’t have apple brandy on hand
• Chicken thighs work well in place of pork if that’s what you have