An Evening of Exquisiteness at Blue Hill

ELLIOTT AND THE FLATWARE AWAITING OUR MULTI COURSE DINNER

Several years ago, I introduced my cousin Marion Bush to Dan Barber at his extraordinary restaurant Blue Hill in Tarrytown, NY. Marion is a gatherer and purveyor of wild edibles and lives fairly nearby so I suspected it would be a perfect union. A few weeks ago Marion and her husband Marty, Elliott and I met at Blue Hill for dinner. We were served a vast array of amazingly imaginative dishes, each presented artfully in/on equally unique presentoirs. They arrived and were described at such a fast pace it was all we could do to document them while enjoying consuming them but with the "division of labor," (Marion writing and me photographing and crying out "don't touch it yet") we managed to do it. Here is just a mere fraction of the highlights (I missed photographing the little glass of cantalope tears as I was so stunned by the intensity of the very essence of the melon that I forgot to take the photo):

VEGETABLES FROM THE FARM WITH BABY FENNEL FRONDS

RADISHES WITH POPPY SEED BUTTER & POPPY SEEDS FROM THE POD

BABY KOHLRABI WITH MARIGOLD PUREE AND RASPBERRIES

"NEEDLES IN A HAYSTACK" GRISSINI

CORNCOB LEMONADE

DEEP-FRIED LONG ISLAND WHITEBAIT ON SKEWERS

WILD FIELD GREENS WITH TARRAGON PESTO

TOMATO BURGERS

GAZPCHO JULEPS

COPA WITH MALTED BARBER WHEAT BREAD

BRIOCHE OF BARBER WHEAT SERVED IN BREAD ROOM, WITH FRESH CURD CHEESE AND VEGETABLE RELISH

*See Below.

THE AUSTRIAN FLOUR MILL

CHEF BOBBY SCHAFFER--BREAD MAESTRO

LAMB, BEET BOLOGNESE, SQUASH; SAUCE OF CHARCUTERIE & VINEGAR

WITH BEEF TALLOW POURED ONTO THE LAMB AT TABLE

WHEY & BASIL, PUFFED GRAINS & BERRIES, PEACHES, POPPED CORN WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE

ZUCCHINI CAKE

CHOCOLATE MINT, STRAWBERRIES, GRAPES, PLUMS, HONEY & GRAINS

The accompanying wines were: Langhe Arneis 2012, de Forville, Barbaresco, Italia, and la Demarrante Maxim Magnon 2011, la Vallée du paradis, Languedoc. * Chef Bobby has sent me the recipe for this incredible 100% Barber whole wheat flour brioche which I will be sharing on the blog after making it.