My mother-in-law even asked me for this recipe. Baked pork shoulder with apples and plums

A baked pork shoulder complemented with apples and plums makes a great dish, not just for everyday dinners but also for special occasions. The meat, juicy and tender, comes capped with a delicious, homemade sauce.

The recipe for a pork shoulder featuring fruits is quite simple; all you need is one dish and an oven. My mother-in-law instantly requested this recipe once she got a taste. I can't blame her: the seasoned meat beautifully offsets the taste of apples and plums. The dish, steeped in a simple sauce, just calls to be served alongside dumplings, noodles, or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 2.2 pounds of pork shoulder,
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
• 4 cloves of garlic,
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary,
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme,
• 1 teaspoon salt,
• ¾ teaspoon pepper,
• 2 tablespoons butter,
• 2 shallots,
• 4 small apples,
• 4 plums,
• 1 tablespoon French mustard,
• 2 tablespoons apple vinegar,
• about 1.7 cups of broth.

For the sauce:

• 0.8 cups broth,
• 1.5 tablespoons potato starch,
• ½ cup water.

Preparation:

Step 1: Wrap the shoulder with butcher's twine, inserting sprigs of rosemary and thyme under the string.

Step 2: Drizzle the meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add finely chopped or crushed garlic and rub it into the meat. Fry on both sides in hot oil to seal it.

Step 3: Remove the meat from the casserole and add butter and chopped shallots. Once the vegetable glazes, add quartered or eighthed apples and plums and fry them briefly. Stir in the mustard.

Step 4: Return the meat back into the casserole along with the roasted fruit. Drizzle with apple vinegar and add the broth. Bake for 1.5 hours at 320°F. If your casserole is not heat-resistant, transfer everything to an oven-safe dish.

Step 5: Once baked, extract the meat and fruit from the dish. Add 0.8 cups of broth and starch mixed with water to the residual liquid, stirring it thoroughly over low heat to create a thick sauce.

Step 6: Finally, pour the prepared sauce over the baked shoulder and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve the dish alongside potatoes or dumplings and your favorite salad. Bon appetit!