By Jack Winner, Herald-Tribune / Monday, October 3, 2011

When most people think of using fruit in meals they probably go first to breakfast and dessert: sliced banana over cereal or the morning grapefruit; cherry pie, peach cobbler and berries and ice cream.

But fruit can play a role in main courses, as well. In fact, some fruits have already reached the point of cliché. Think of the classic Duck à l'Orange or ham studded with pineapple rings. Nor let us forget those cranberries with the turkey at Thanksgiving. Setting these more predictable combinations aside, however, we can see how fruit can liven up a meal and at times even surprise us.

With the arrival of autumn - yes, this is Florida and no one noticed - and fall harvests there is yet another reason to include fruit on the shopping list when planning dinner. That point was driven home recently with the arrival of the latest issue of Bon Appetit, which featured on its cover a pork roast surrounded by roasted apples.

That pork and apple dish reminds us, too, that some meat and fowl seem to call out for fruit accompaniments and that some fruits just work naturally in main courses. Nor do cooks have to fall back on clichés to arrange such culinary marriages.

Take that Duck à l'Orange. For years, Café L'Europe on St. Armands Circle has been serving duck with orange, but with a twist, one that reinvents the classic. As the restaurant's executive chef Steven Devlin explains, their version introduces the orange from the inside, so to speak. Cut-up oranges are stuffed inside whole duck. The duck is then placed on a bed of mirepoix, a mixture of chopped onions, carrots and celery, and put in an oven to roast for several hours at a low temperature.

The difference in this preparation, chef Devlin explains, is that the flavor of the oranges infuses the duck's flesh and spreads the flavor subtly throughout, rather than bathing it on the outside with a sweet orange sauce. Devlin then splits the duck and finishes it off with a cognac and bing cherry sauce. Using cognac instead of the sweet Grand Marnier further balances the dish's flavors and sweet and acidic elements.

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Facts: TITUS LETSCHERT, SO FAR

Born in Holland.

Graduated from Saint Hubertes Hotel and Restaurant School in Amsterdam.

Arrived in New York City with $500 and a suitcase; stayed at the YMCA.

As assistant general manager at Bill Paley's Ground Floor Restaurant, orchestrated delivery of 20,000 tulips from Holland for the wedding of Tiny Tim ("Tiptoe Through the Tulips") and Miss Vicki that aired on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" in December 1969.

Co-managed the Sign of the Dove restaurant and Yellow Finger discotheque on the upper east side of Manhattan with Norbert Goldner.

After purchasing Goldner's share of Café L'Europe, opened Café on the Bay on Longboat Key in 1994 and acquired Celebrations! catering.

Q:   What is your most vivid memory about the day (or week) you opened? What was that date?

A:   We opened Café L'Europe on Jan. 21, 1973. I remember opening the front door on our opening night, and I was floored to see my mother and older brother standing there. They had come over from Holland to surprise me. I also remember that Norbert (Goldner), my partner at the time, and I were so overwhelmed that we decided to close the next day and reopen the following day. We have been open since then.

Q:   Was there a menu item that you expected would be your signature preparation? Is it still on your menu?

A:   The Café L'Europe duckling with bing cherry sauce was a smash from the start and is still on our menu today.

Q:   Are any of the original employees still working with you? Who?

A:   On this 35th anniversary we have one employee who started on Day 1. That is Judy Longmate, who is a server. Although Judy is the only one remaining since Day 1, I have been blessed to have many great employees who have spent many years at the cafe; quite a feat in a business that has a reputation for rapid turnover.

Q:   Who inspired you to go into the restaurant business and how did you decide on Sarasota? Among the restaurateurs in business now, whom did you mentor?

A:   I met Chef Holsher of Dikker & Thijs restaurant in Amsterdam when I was a kid. He showed me around the kitchen and I was sold. I actually came to Sarasota through a mutual friend of Murph Klauber of The Colony Beach & Tennis Club and fell in love with the area.

Some people have kidded that Café L'Europe has been Sarasota Cooking University. Many of our employees have turned out to be successful restaurateurs. Ray Arpke of Euphemia Haye, J.P. Knaggs of the Bijou Café, Harry Christensen of (Harry's) Continental Kitchens and Joe Casadio of 15 South, David Michael Sprowles of Carmichael's, Vito Frazita of Vito's and Bob Fracalossy of the Lazy Lobster, to name a few, all worked in the Café L'Europe.

Q:   What is the biggest change you have seen in the dining industry since you opened?

A:   The biggest change ... is that our clientele are more health-conscious and definitely more savvy about wine. When we first opened we had jug wine as the house wine and Mateus and Lancer's rosé wine was a favorite of the customers.

Q:   If you had it to do over, would you do anything differently? Any plans for the future?

A:   I have, at times, joked that I should have bought some McDonald's franchises back 35 years ago. Seriously, though, I am very proud to (be) the co-owner of Café L'Europe and to be part of Sarasota and the Circle. We have made a good team. No plans for any more restaurant ventures. Maybe a cruise around the world would be in order.