Calvados

Calvados

What it is

Calvados Domfrontais must be at least thirty percent pear, which is why it smells of orchard rather than of apple alone, and the Pays d'Auge is distilled twice in a pot still where the rest of Normandy runs once through a column. The cider apples behind it are bitter, tannic varieties no one would eat out of hand - they were bred for tannin, not for the fruit bowl.

In the kitchen

Deglaze pork or tripe while the pan is still fierce, then add the cream off the heat - done the other way round, the acidity splits the cream. A tablespoon a head is plenty; past that the apple gives way to spirit heat.

Goes with

Apple Pork Cream Camembert Butter Andouille Chicken Pear

Same species

Apple Mostarda di Mantova Rapid-set apple pectin Chantecler apple Reinette grise du Canada apple

Also used with

Livarot Neufchâtel Pont-l'Évêque Boudin blanc

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