Creamy Pork & Apples W Cornmeal Biscuits

This slow cooker dish pairs tender cubed pork with tart green apples in a creamy sauce scented with sage, nutmeg, and white pepper. The pork goes in flour-dusted over a bed of sliced apples, onion, and garlic, then white wine creates the braising liquid. Hours later, the pork is fall-apart tender and the apples have melted into the sauce.

A cornstarch and cream slurry stirred in at the end thickens everything into a rich, gravy-like sauce that coats the meat and clings to the biscuits.

Those cornmeal biscuits are worth the extra effort. Yogurt keeps them tender and tangy, while the cornmeal adds a pleasant grit and golden color. They bake in the oven while the sauce finishes in the crockpot, so everything comes together at the same time.

Chef Tips

• Use tart green apples like Granny Smith. Sweet apples will turn to mush and make the sauce cloying
• Coat the pork cubes in flour before layering them over the apples. This thickens the sauce as it cooks and builds body
• Cut the butter into the biscuit dough quickly with cold hands or a pastry cutter. Overworking makes them tough
• Arrange 6 biscuits right in the crockpot on top of the stew for the last few minutes. They soak up sauce on the bottom while staying crusty on top

Variations

• Add a handful of dried cranberries to the apple mixture for a tart, festive twist
• Use hard apple cider instead of white wine for a more apple-forward sauce
• Swap the cornmeal biscuits for drop dumplings cooked directly in the stew