Perfect pairings: The best meat & fruit matches

"Surprise and delight your family & friends adding colour, texture and flavour to your meals."

One of the best things about cooking is experimenting with exciting new flavours to add to your favourite dishes. Combining meat and fruits might seem strange at first it will add a touch or gourmet to everyday dishes; and will no doubt surprise and delight your family & friends adding colour, texture and flavour to your meals.

By adding fruit in with a slow cooked meal or roast, or used in a sauce or glaze upon serving, no matter what your favourite meat is, there is a fruit that matches perfectly.

We’re not talking about the controversial ham & pineapple on pizza here……

Think about some of the most classic dishes like Turkey and Cranberry – delicious don’t you agree?

Fruits add a sweet flavour to savoury, salty meat dishes but instead of simply adding any fruit, the trick is finding the best combinations.

Here’s a few ideas for you to try at home. Aside from the sweet tartness these fruits give to a sauce, the addition of fruit pieces adds bursts of texture and flavour to your dishes.

Chicken:
Instead of using the humble lemon in chicken dishes, if you are roasting chicken or using it in a stir fry try apricots, cranberries, peaches, pears, pomegranates and prunes.

Pork:
From chops to prosciutto to baked ham there is something for everyone when it comes to adding fruit to your pork dishes.

Try adding apple, pomegranate or oranges with pork loins or chops; Peaches, apricots, dried figs and mango pair well with ham (baked or served cold) and work wonderfully in pork burgers.

Beef:
With a stronger flavour, sweeter fruits work best with beef dishes like apricots, peaches, plums and prunes. With beef we suggest avoiding citrus or acidic fruits.

Lamb:
Enhance the flavour of your lamb with dried fruits such as cranberries, dates, prunes & raisins. Smaller, delicate cherries pair well with lamb salads while heartier dishes like lamb stew work best with apricots and other stone fruits.

If you’re weary of fruit being too sweet in a dish, to really balance out a meal try adding strong flavours into a salad or side of vege such as spinach, mesculin, radicchio, radish, zucchini, eggplant and other vege that have a slightly bitter flavour.

Here's a simple fruity sauce recipe for you to try, this one works wonderfully with Lamb:

Cherry Sauce Recipe:

75g Westgold Butter
200g pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups red wine
2 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Put red wine, honey and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Add cherries and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove cherries with a slotted spoon and continue to reduce liquid until the consistency of a light syrup. Take off the heat and stir in butter a little at a time. Add the cherries back and season. Cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!