I buy the following ingredients locally whenever possible: honey, maple syrup, jam, produce (cherries, berries, apples, peaches, plums, grapes, aspar-agus, corn, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and pumpkins), chicken, seafood, meat, eggs (duck and chicken), cheese, coffee, and spirits.
8 MY HARBOR COUNTRY PANTRY
9
Crisp Chicken with Roasted Grapes and Brown Butter Grape Sauce 12
Third Coast Seafood Pasta Baked in Parchment 16
Beet-Red Sunset Salmon with Miso, Maple, and Roasted Fennel 22
Seasonal Fire Pit Seafood Feast 26
Checkerboard Shepherd’s Pie with Bison 32
Whiskey Apple Brisket with Spiced Carrots and Onions 38
Whole Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower with Bacon Potato Chip Crumble 42
Roasted Acorn Squash Bowls with Apple Bacon Pistachio Stuffing 46
I
, I’m sharing eight of my favorite
lake-life dishes that you can always rely on to be
the star of the party and impress your guests. Each
delivers surprise and delight, while unexpected flavor
combinations and unique preparation methods pique
culinary curiosities.
Growing up, my mom was stellar at planning the per-fect dinner party. Early on, she taught me the “KIS method” for menu planning: keep it simple! That means choosing one impressive recipe that might be a bit more time-consuming, then filling in the table with deliciously simple dishes that let the ingredients shine. That way, you can relax while cooking for a crowd!
These are some of the recipes our guests enjoyed most during our first year at Camp Navama. Inspired by Southwest Michigan’s bountiful local produce and the passionate food artisans in Harbor Country, these dishes use ingredients from some of my go-to places for top-quality meat, seafood, fruits, and vegetables‚ includ-ing Dinges’ Fall Harvest, Flagship Specialty Foods and Fish Market, Kaminski Farms, and Springhope Farm.
The next time you host a party, consciously relish the moment and honor the time you’ve carved out to pre-pare beautiful food for the wonderful people in your life.
Impress Your Guests
10 IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS
I Am Grapeful
M
, D, and I discovered
Dinges’ Fall Harvest
one bluebird-
sky morning when we were biking through the countryside. Intrigued by
the craft barn filled with dried gourds for sale, we stopped for a closer look. Our
gourd shopping was interrupted by several loud squawks coming from behind
the barn. We got ready to flee, but then farmer Lee Dinges rode up on his tractor,
introduced himself, and invited us to take a peek at the birds his grandkids were
taking to the county fair.
Around the back of the barn, our citified souls were greeted by exotic birds, chick-ens, bunnies, and white turkeys (one of which eventually ended up coming home with us for our first true “farm to table” Thanksgiving). Meals become extra spe-cial when you meet the farmer who cares for the land that feeds your family. We thanked Lee for the feathered friend tour and promised to come back in the fall when his property became a pumpkin patch and his grapes were ready to harvest.
That September, we visited the farm just before sunset, filling far too many bags with deep blue Concord grapes and golden, sun-kissed Niagaras the color of char-donnay. My mind began reeling with recipe ideas, because a girl can only eat so many grapes straight off the vine.
The Crisp Chicken with Roasted Grapes and Brown Butter Grape Sauce is one of many grape-forward meals I made that fall, and if you’ve never roasted grapes, my friend, your life is about to get really juicy!
★ Dinges’ Fall Harvest
15219 Mill Rd. | Three Oaks, MI
As the leaves turn and days become crisp, many families take a trip to Dinges’ Fall Harvest. Every year, the pumpkin patch brims with orange and white globes in all sizes and varieties imaginable, and a massive cornfield maze and spooky decorations deliver a world of Halloween happiness.
HUNGRY FOR HARBOR COUNTRY11
12 IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS
Crisp Chicken with Roasted Grapes and Brown Butter Grape Sauce
4–6 succulent servings 45 min active time 9 hrs 30 min start to finish
Special itemSNeeded
Fine mesh strainer or food mill
criSp chickeN
8–10 organic chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds seedless grapes, stemmed, for roasting (Use a mix of green and red or black grapes for a pretty plate!)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
BrowN ButterGrape Sauce
2 pounds Concord grapes, stemmed (Use Dinges’ Concord grapes in the fall or buy red grapes in a pinch. Buy Concord grape juice if you’re short on time.)
cup salted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons stemmed and minced fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
cup cold water
1 tablespoons cornstarch
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dry Out the Chicken Skin Place the thighs skin side up in a single layer on a baking sheet. Pat dry with a paper towel. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 6 to 8 hours or overnight to dry the skin.
Preheat the Oven Align a rack in the center of the oven and another rack just below it, and then preheat the oven to 425°F (on the roast setting, if you have one).
Prepare the Chicken Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place on a plate and sprinkle both sides of each chicken thigh with salt and pepper. Then place the chicken thighs, skin side up, in the center of a large cast iron skillet or oven-safe skillet.
Roast the Chicken Place the chicken on the center oven rack and roast for about 20 minutes.
Prepare the Grapes While the chicken is roasting, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then brush it with oil. Place the seedless grapes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of the olive