Fruit for Dinner

It’s tender, generous, invigorating. In it, the acclaimed Granor Farm chef pays homage to Michigan’s fruit producers, with a special nod to Leelanau County, where Berens spent eight years cooking and farming at Bare Knuckle Farm in Northport, which she co-founded in 2009. “Fruit is inextricable from my cooking,” she writes. “It shows up in dessert, yes, but, maybe more interestingly, throughout the meal … It’s possible there is so much fruit in my cooking because I’m from Michigan. The mitten state is the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the union, due in large part to the tremendous amount of fruit we grow.” .

Here, Berens shares a few of her favorite dinner recipes featuring August’s abundant apricots and melons.

grilled chicken w/apricots, red onion + basil

One of the first big meals I ever made with my friend and mentor Rodger Bowser was a dinner celebrating a local farm that raised incredible heritage chickens. While the chickens were the star, the apricot salad that went along with them was a scene stealer.

1 whole chicken (4 to 5 pounds)

¼ cup neutral oil

3 garlic cloves, smashed salt

¼ teaspoon chili flakes

1 lemon (about 1.5 ounces), zest and juice

1 orange (about 3 ounces), zest and juice

1 red onion (about 4 ounces) olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds apricots, halved and pits removed 5 sprigs basil

1. Break down the chicken into quarters: Set the chicken, breast sideup with legs pointing at you. Cut between the leg and the bottom of the breast and start to separate the two. Flip the bird over and pop the hip joint of the chicken by lifting the leg quarter up until you hear the ball-socket joint break apart. Cut around the oyster meat (a.k.a. the chicken love handle) and remove the leg. Repeat on the other leg. Then return the now legless bird to breast-side up. Cut down the center of the breastbone (between the chicken cleavage) and, cutting as close to the bone as possible, lift the breast away from the rib cage. Cut around the base of the wing so that the wing and breast stay connected as you separate them from the center cavity. Repeat on the other side. Save the center carcass for making stock, etc.

2. Place the chicken quarters into a dish or sealable bag. Add the oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, chili flakes and citrus zest to the bag and smoosh around to coat the chicken. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least an hour and up to two days.

3. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium. Remove the chicken from the marinade (squeezing off any excess oil). Grill skin-side down until the skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken to a cooler part of the grill and continue cooking until it is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F), about 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cut the onion into 1-inch-wide petals and toss with a glug of olive oil and big pinch of salt and pepper. Grill over mediumhigh heat until soft and slightly singed. Remove the onions to a medium bowl.

5. Toss the apricot halves with a glug of olive oil and a big pinch of salt and black pepper. Grill, cut-side down, until the fruit is slightly soft and has good grill lines. Remove from the grill and add to the bowl of onions. Add the citrus juice along with another glug of olive oil. Let cool slightly.

6. Just before serving, tear the basil into large pieces and add to the onionapricot mixture. To serve, pile the salad on top of each piece of chicken.