Abra Berens

Oct 21, 2024 | mindbodygreen.com | Abra Berens

Close BannerAdvertisementThis ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features. Executive chef & authorBy Abra BerensExecutive chef & authorAbra Berens is the executive chef at Granor Farm, a certified organic farm in southwest Michigan, and the author of three cookbooks. Image by EE Berger / Photographs © EE BergerOctober 21, 2024We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines.

Sep 19, 2024 | illuminatefood.substack.com | Danielle Schwab |Abra Berens

It was a good summer. Even though I was looking for work, we had two wedding celebrations, many beach days, a weekend upstate, and I hosted three dinner parties. On the days I could overcome the anxiety of being unemployed, I could recognize how lucky it is to have the extra time and space not always to be rushing, multitasking, or barreling through life. Giving myself a two-hour window in the afternoon to experiment in the kitchen was a gift.

Mar 12, 2024 | bonappetit.com | Abra Berens

Amaro, and a handful of other bitter liqueurs, are having a renaissance and showing up outside of the post-dinner digestif. I’ve been using the local-to-me Granor Farm Blue Corn Amaro as a component in lower-ABV cocktails to start the night, like my take on the Lumberjack, which is usually made with cognac or whiskey. I kept it a bit classic with plenty of freshly pressed apple cider (mine is from Mick Klüg Farm). Thankfully, their cider freezes perfectly, so the drink can be made any time of year.

Mar 12, 2024 | bonappetit.com | Abra Berens

Half chowder, half fish pie, this one-pot dinner is everything I want contemporary Michigan cuisine to be—rooted in our region’s agricultural and culinary traditions but not stodgy or heavy the way Midwestern food is presented and perceived to be. The Manitou Islands are in Lake Michigan and part of the lore around Sleeping Bear Dunes in Glen Arbor, Michigan.

Mar 12, 2024 | bonappetit.com | Abra Berens

Pickle Dip belongs in the hallowed snack halls of French Onion Dip, Thick Ranch, and Mexicali Dip. To my mind, the best way to balance a decadent sauce is by slathering it on a mountain of fresh, crisp vegetables. Here the creamy base is contrasted with the acidity of the pickles and lemon, the heat of the chile flakes and black pepper, the freshness of the chopped herbs, and the salty crunch of a Cheez-It crust.