Last night I had the opportunity to visit my favorite restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns for an educational course on winter grilling. The 5-course menu included grilled parsnips, a slider-style vegi burger, grilled lobster, blue hill’s incomparable heritage pork, and a dessert that incorporated “grilled milk”.
The food was fantastic as usual, but what made this a truly unique experience was the opportunity to hear directly from Dan Barber, the creative director of Blue Hill, and his grilling chef, Adam Kaye. All the food from the evening was prepared on a custom-designed grill which traps all the juices and allows for adjustable height in the heating surface. The owner of Grillworks, Benjamin Eisendrath, who makes The Grillery was there to discuss his product and the inspiration behind it. We also heard from an expert in carbon sequestration and use who discussed the process of carbonizing bones for use as charcoal. He and Dan talked about the opportunities this presented to reduce waste, provide great fertilizer for the fruits and vegis grown on the farm, and perhaps the potential to infuse new flavor elements into the smokiness of grilled foods.
It was a truly memorable meal that was as inspirational as it was delicious. It makes me so happy to know that there are people like Dan and his staff who not only aim to maximize flavor, but are also always looking for new and inventive ways to reduce waste and increase productivity. And it’s such a privilege to be able to take part in their journey towards what may become a model for the 21st century way of eating.