The Wall Street Journal
Nov. 6-7, 2010
‘Consider This’
A growing number of top kitchens across North America and Europe are harnessing hay’s comforting, pastoral quality in their dishes. They’re using it to lend grassy, autumnal, haute-barnyard goodness to whole poached hams, for smoking veal chops and sweetbreads, as a smoky and strangely familiar seasoning powder for meats and fish and even to flavor whipping cream for dessert. Many professional kitchens source their hay from egg and meat producers; for obvious reasons it’s worth finding stuff that’s fresh, organic and unused. Fergus Henderson, the London-based nose-to-tail pioneer and co-chef behind St. John Bar and Restaurant, suggests home cooks get it at the pet store. Chances are it’s the only ingredient du jour you’ll ever find next to the Friskies. Read more…
