Here's something I did the other night, it was pretty tasty. It could easily be adapted to a crockpot. The cherries may lose some texture after a long cook, but the flavor should be the same.
mjb.
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Beef and cherry stew
2 - 3 lbs. beef chuck roast
1/2 lb bacon
1 medium onion
1/2 lb dried cherries
2 - 3 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
cooking oil
Cube beef into 1/2 inch or so chunks. Mix flour, salt, pepper and
garlic in a large bowl. Toss beef cubes in flour to lightly coat.
Dice bacon, coarsely chop onion. Fry bacon in a large skillet over
medium heat until a few tablespoons or so of fat has rendered out.
Add onion, continue to cook for 5 - 6 minutes until onion softens.
Transfer bacon bits and onion to a large pot, reserving bacon fat in
skillet.
Brown beef in skillet in batches, don't crowd. Add more oil to
skillet if neccessary. Put browned beef in pot with bacon and onion.
Add stock and wine to skillet, bring to a boil, scraping up bits of
browned beef. Add stock mix to pot. Simmer on low heat for about an
hour. Add dried cherries, simmer until beef is tender, adding more
stock, salt, pepper or wine if needed for your desired result.  |