Next Time You Make A Pot Roast, Try Adding An Unexpected Stone Fruit

In the transitional space between summer and autumn, we're always looking for cozy recipes that still celebrate the bright flavors of warmer days. Pot roast is certainly a hearty dish, but to give it an unexpected summery spin, spruce up the classic dish with plums.

Beef is rich and savory, with a deep flavor that can complement everything from coffee to chocolate. It's quite good with fruits as well, especially when they have enough depth to withstand the headiness of meat. Plums, which have their season from May through October, are deeply sweet, with a tart flavor that gives it a touch of brightness. Plum and pot roast may seem like an unlikely duo, but the stone fruit is present in red wines, which is used in preparing this umami-rich almost meaty portobello "pot roast" recipe.

The honeyed plum enhances the beef while blending right into the silky pot roast. After searing the beef, saute the carrots, garlic, and onions. Deglaze with beef broth and red wine then add the beef back into the pot, followed by chopped plums. You can also opt to cook with prunes, instead. The dried fruit gives you a more concentrated plum flavor, which has a bigger effect on the finished dish. Chop up the prunes into bite-sized pieces and let it cook with the beef. Then, allow the pot roast to simmer on low for eight hours.

If you want to boost the plum's dark, tangy flavor, add in a dash of balsamic vinegar when cooking your pot roast. It's strong and fruit-forward, with plum being a present note in the vinegar. Balsamic vinegar isn't overly tangy, so it won't produce mouth-puckering beef, either. However, you can always take a note from this rump roast crock-pot recipe and balance out the tangy ingredients with woodsy rosemary and thyme.

On the other hand, you can give the dish a fiery boost with some ginger. The root tempers plum's sour bite while complementing its sweetness with an added heat. To best incorporate the two flavors together, saute carrots, shallots, and garlic with minced ginger root. Once they've started to soften, add a dollop of plum sauce and stir well. The condiment is sweet and spicy, perfect for giving an old classic a new spin.

For a dish that's even more fruit-forward, add a dash of plum flavor to super tender herb and fig pot roast. The sticky, sweet fruit goes perfectly with plum, making the savoriness of the beef stand out even more. Saute your veggies in plum sauce or simply simmer everything in a hearty plum wine to incorporate the flavor of the stone fruit.