746 WARREN STREET
HUDSON, NY 12534
(518) 671-6565
CO-CHEF/OWNERS: JOHN MCCARTHY AND BENJAMIN FREEMOLE
It takes commitment for two talented young chefs to leave Manhattan and set up shop together in Hudson, New York. In this case that commitment is not just toward a new project but also to each other. Says Chef John McCarthy of Crimson Sparrow, which he opened with co-chef/owner Benjamin Freemole, “Frankly, there’s not a large culinary community around here. It’s not like you can go to a bar and see, like, fifteen other cooks from the neighborhood. You grow to rely on your partner and that person relies on you. You are, for lack of a better term, on your own.”
McCarthy met Freemole in the most cosmopolitan of circumstances. They were both working under Chef Wylie Dufresne at the molecular gastronomy landmark, WD-50. Although, as McCarthy says, they don’t “put it in your face” at Crimson Sparrow, the futuristic precepts that McCarthy and Freemole learned under Dufresne come into play in their Hudson kitchen. Having been asked a hundred times about molecular gastronomy, McCarthy is bored by the notion that modern techniques are separate from the traditional repertoire. “Almost every single kitchen in the United States uses xanthan gum, uses gelling gum, uses emulsifiers and modified starches to create textures. And that’s the true legacy of the Wylie Dufresnes of the world: They’ve made these advances in the culinary word that everyone takes for granted.”
As at WD-50, Crimson Sparrow is devoted to the narrative arc of tasting menus. “We opened with a menu that had close to twenty-two different things on it. We were really just stretching our legs and doing dishes that we wanted to do. On the one-year anniversary of the restaurant, we decided to do a tasting menu of dishes that we thought would be really good in the context of five or six courses. At the time, we were giving folks the option of the tasting menu versus the a la carte menu. That first week, I’m not exaggerating, we had only two diners who came in and didn’t order the tasting menu. Naturally, we just moved to a tasting menu format, and we change that every week.”
While McCarthy already had a house in Claverack before he and Freemole joined forces, the city of Hudson has an energy that is alluring to both chefs. “It’s an incredibly historical looking and feeling town. By the same token it’s got artistic vibes to it. You only need to know what’s going on in Hudson to know that it’s a magnet of culture—and that’s not only for the people in it, but for the people who come to visit. As cooks, we press ourselves to be creative, and I think the Hudson environment is conducive to the artistic energy that we all try to tap into. Hudson is a special place; I mean, artist Marina Abramović will be building a fifteen million dollar performance space and cultural center here within a year or so. Obviously, we weren’t thinking of Marina Abramović when we opened, but we saw something in Hudson that other people are seeing as well.”
But don’t worry. Success won’t spoil Hudson, whose grittiness gives this town what McCarthy calls “an edge.” The notion of turning Warren Street into a status label shopping mall actively disgusts this chef. “I’ll be honest with you. I’m with 99 percent of the people here who, when they hear that Hudson is the ‘Hamptons of the Hudson Valley,’ get kinda [moaning] ‘Oh, no!’ It’s a sickening thought.”
(SERVES 8)
For the shallot confit:
8–10 shallots, peeled and minced
Grapeseed oil to cover
Salt and pepper to taste
For the avocados:
4 ripe avocados
¼ cup Greek yogurt, strained
1 tablespoon strained shallot confit
Salt to taste
For the beef tendon:
2 pounds beef tendons
1 head garlic, halved
Sake to cover
For the cauliflower and radish:
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 bunches English breakfast radishes, tops removed (reserve these), cut into pieces the size of cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons strained shallot confit
1 tablespoon whole unsalted butter
2 tablespoons lemon vinegar
Water, as needed
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon julienned beef tendon
For the radishes:
1 bunch English breakfast radishes, sliced as thin as possible lengthwise, placed in ice water
¼ cup reserved radish tops, cleaned, sliced on a bias, placed in ice water
¼ cup red-veined sorrel, sliced on a bias
¼ cup minced chives
¼ cup micro radish greens or your favorite petite greens from the farmers’ market
2 teaspoons lemon vinegar
2 teaspoons shallot confit oil
Salt to taste
For the potatoes:
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cleaned, cut into uniform pieces
2 heads garlic, cut in half
1 bunch thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt to taste
Oil for frying, as needed
For the beef:
4 pounds beef (flap, tri-tip, hanger, skirt, or flank steak will all work)
4 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
8 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and cracked pepper to taste
2 tablespoons whole unsalted butter, cubed
To confit the shallots: In a small, heavy-bottomed pot over low heat, place the shallots. Add enough grapeseed oil to the shallots to barely cover them. Cook the shallots until tender. Make sure to keep the heat very low so that they don’t burn. When the shallots are very tender, remove from heat. Once cool, season the confit to taste. Store them in the oil and refrigerate until use.
To prepare the avocados: In a blender place avocados, yogurt, and shallot confit and puree the mixture until smooth. Season to taste with salt and reserve.
To cook the beef tendons: In a pressure cooker place beef tendons. Add one head of garlic, halved. Cover with sake and cook for 1 hour. Remove from heat and allow pressure to subside. Remove the tendons from the cooking liquid and allow them to rest for 10 minutes. Place the tendons between two cookie sheets or trays and press with about 15 pounds of weight on top. (Sacks of flour and sugar work nicely here.) Press the tendons in the refrigerator until cooled. Reserve.
To prepare the cauliflower and radish: Into a large sauté pan, place cauliflower, radishes, shallot confit, butter, and vinegar. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Place over high heat and cook until water is almost evaporated. Season very lightly with salt and deglaze with more water. Continue this process until the vegetables are tender but still maintain a little crunch. Add beef tendon and stir to coat.
To prepare the radishes: Just before service, combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss gently.
To cook the potatoes: Several hours before you intend to serve the dish, place potatoes in a medium-size pot, cover with water, and add garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and salt. Simmer until very tender. Make sure not to boil the potatoes or they will break. Carefully remove the potatoes from the water, place them on a parchment paper–lined sheet tray, and freeze. When they are frozen, heat the oil in a pot large enough to fry the potatoes. When the oil reaches 275°F, remove the potatoes from the freezer and fry for 5–7 minutes, or until a crust forms. Remove the potatoes from the oil and place them back in the freezer for 1-2 hours Turn off the heat under the oil. Once the potatoes are fully frozen, turn the heat back on under the oil and raise it to 375°F. Remove the potatoes from the freezer. Place in the fryer and fry until golden and warmed through. Season with salt.
To prepare the beef: Place the beef in a zip bag with the shallots, thyme, olive oil, cracked pepper, and salt. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before cooking. Remove the beef from the bag and discard excess marinade. Re-season lightly with salt and cracked pepper. In a pan over medium-high heat, sear the steak to desired doneness. Remove from heat, top with butter, and allow meat to rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing.
To plate: Onto eight plates, arrange cauliflower and radish salad, radishes, potatoes, and sliced steak. Using a pastry bag, pipe avocado puree onto plates. Serve.