Dan Barber's Amazing Carrots

I attended Taste3 in Napa last weekend. The conference started off with Dan Barber from Blue Hill at Stone Barns (link) telling a couple of hilariously funny stories (Dan definitely needs his own t.v. show, he's quite the charismatic story teller). His first story, or maybe I should call it an act, related his attempts to grow carrots that, theoretically, would be enhanced with the scent of almonds because they were grown with compost made from an almond nut residue.

He stumbled upon this "technique" so to speak, at a farm in France where he sources the flavored oils used in his cooking. Hanging out in the kitchen of the farmhouse, he was overwhelmed with the scent of almonds, even though the only thing cooking on the stove was a pan of fried potatoes. Ah, but the potatoes had been grown with compost from the almond harvest, and that richly "flavored" dirt seemed to have perfumed the spuds with the heady aroma of the nuts. It was a simple but brilliant idea, and when he returned to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Barber set out to secure some almonds for composting his carrot crop.

The night before the restaurant was to cook up the first batch of carrots, Barber had a dream, and he dreams big. Cover of Gourmet big. Yes he dreamed he made the cover of Gourmet Magazine thanks to his revolutionary technique in growing carrots. Customers were lined up at the door clamoring for his carrot dish. The Nobel prize couldn't be too far off...

Well, after the huge buildup, staff trainings, promotions, etc., the first batch of carrots was cooked and served. Alas, not a trace of almond perfume anywhere ("tastes like carrots..."). The project was a complete failure. But with a restaurant full of hungry diners ready to taste these revolutionary carrots, Barber saved the day by drizzling them with a bit of almond oil, and no one knew any better. The carrots were a smash hit and soon enough, he was fielding calls from other chefs curious about his magnificent tasting orange-colored root vegetables.