Tory Miller, executive chef-owner of L’Etoile in Madison, Wis., almost always cooked vegetables the classic French way, by boiling and then shocking them in cold water.
But three years ago, while eating a stalk of such plainly cooked asparagus, Miller had an aha moment. He immediately swore off the French way in favor of a more flavorful method: charring.
“We’re so used to seeing the bright colors, but [boiling and blanching are] not bringing out the flavor,” Miller said. “Charring brings out so much flavor.”
Miller has been charring vegetables at L’Etoile, his seasonal fine-dining concept, ever since. His passion for char may have started with asparagus, but soon came to include peas, carrots and onions. Now, just about every vegetable on his menu gets a good burn. Miller is currently serving charred asparagus two ways: topped with a crunchy rhubarb-hickory nut salmuera, a type of brine, and Hook’s Cheddar cheese; and served atop puréed cottage cheese with a drizzle of pumpkin oil and toasted pumpkin seeds.
This centuries-old technique is catching on with chefs across the country. Like Miller, many are charring vegetables in a dry cast iron pan, over a wood fire or on a plancha to coax flavor from — or add flavor to — ingredients.
“We char foods for contrasting flavor and textures, and sometimes for color, as in charred tomatoes and carrots,” said Kirsten Dixon, chef and co-owner of Within The Wild Adventure Company in Alaska. “Charring adds depth of flavor, contrasting bitter to sweet and crispy texture.”
At the company’s Winterlake Lodge and Tutka Bay Lodge, Dixon and her daughter, chef-owner Mandy Dixon, char ingredients such as tomatoes, vegetables, seaweed and wild-caught Alaskan fish over a grill that burns alder wood. They are currently serving black cod and wild grilled mushrooms with charred seaweed chimichurri sauce, and salmon risotto with charred carrots and honey-apple glaze.
At Kachina Southwestern Grill in Westminster, Colo., chef Jeff Bolton offers a grilled romaine salad with a soft poached egg, shaved manchego cheese, smoked trout, cornbread croutons and citrus Caesar dressing.
“I really enjoy the distinctive, smoky flavor that the charring imparts to food,” Bolton said. “The smokiness [infused into the lettuce] pairs perfectly with the citrus Caesar dressing.”
Other vegetables Bolton enjoys charring include squash, zucchini, asparagus and corn. When it is in season, Bolton sends a cart through the restaurant and grills corn tableside.
Ryan Aldrich, chef de cuisine of Jeffrey’s Grocery in New York City, recently added Whole Roasted Branzino with charred green beans and pumpkin seed pesto to the menu. Aldrich blanches the green beans in heavily salted water, then tosses them in minced garlic, coarsely ground black pepper, olive oil and lime zest before charring them on the plancha. The beans are served atop the crispy-roasted branzino and finished with the pumpkin seed pesto and a lime wedge.
“I like to char items for a different, yet recognizable, texture and flavor profile,” Aldrich said. “It brings me back to childhood or to grilling on my back deck.”
Others charring vegetables include chef Kevin Sbraga of Sbraga in Philadelphia, who recently added to the menu Cornish hen with smoked and charred alliums, chicken rilletes and jus. Chef Paul Virant of Perennial Virant in Chicago uses the technique for his charred asparagus soup, made with marinated asparagus, Parmesan cheese and buttermilk panna cotta.
Miller’s passion for char doesn’t end with L’Etoile. Later this summer, he will open Estrellon, a Spanish concept, with a heavy focus on charred ingredients. Among the items planned for the menu is a cauliflower dish made by charring thick slices of the cruciferous vegetable in a 560-degree oven, then drizzling it with housemade buttermilk dressing and topping it with thin slices of Iberico ham.
“It’s really a great way to eat vegetables,” Miller said. “Letting the vegetable be the vegetable.”