These are a few of my favorite things 🎶
Blackcurrant ale, a perfect little teapot, and your suggestions for holiday cheer.
Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we eat through this political nightmare. Check out past posts here, and please follow my Instagram @fivethingsiate.
Big brekkie at Bluestone Lane
417 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024
The Vegetarian Big Brekkie at Bluestone Lane is perfect, from its name down to the very last meticulously roasted mushroom. I don’t care if the line is always long, or, as the online reviews suggest, this little Australian cafe chain has a bit too much hype. It’s so perfect that when I woke up and found myself faced with another unplanned plumbing surprise on this goddamn Awful Election Week, the Big Brekkie still managed to turn my stressful morning into a lovely one. The service is extremely fast and pleasant; I love that you can order your drinks extra hot, if you so desire (I always do). The VBB, which has two poached eggs, halloumi, avocado smash, baby kale, baked mushrooms & roasted tomatoes served with toast, has everything that a Smol Forest Creature embarking on a magical journey could ever need for fuel. On an unseasonably sunny and unreasonably warm day in November, I felt (if not all, at least 50%) of my worries melt away.
Lindemans Cassis (Blackcurrant) Lambic at home
You can order it online, or find it at your local beer store.
If you have been reading Five Things I Ate for a while, you will have noticed that there is a general pattern to things I like. This is not a publication that strives for “objectivity journalism,” whatever that may mean. This is a one-woman newsletter that has a strong bias towards cozy tea shops, strong, whiskey-based cocktails, dim-sum and dumplings, and really, any food or drink that sounds like it might belong in a Redwall feast gets the ultimate stamp of approval from me. This blackcurrant lambic, or, more poetically, blackcurrant ale, scores really high in the “would a cute anthropomorphic woodland creature minus maybe the slightly racist novel themes drink this in an adventure?” scale. Although I found it in the beer aisle, it’s so fruity and sour that it really feels more like a lambrusco, if lambrusco was dark purple and deeply berry-flavored and much better. Unlike the raspberry (or framboise) version, this one is not too cloyingly sweet.
Ovenly's Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies at home
Make them at your home, too.
I turn to this recipe time and time again -- not because I’m vegan (clearly), but because these salty chocolate chip cookies have the best texture of any I’ve ever made. Despite containing no butter, eggs, or any tricky-to-obtain ingredients, they bake up golden-brown, with a wonderful crispy edge. You absolutely do need to refrigerate the dough for at least 12 hours, though (even people like me who hate when recipes tell me what to do). The only thing missing is a buttery taste, so I like to use extra virgin olive oil, since there aren’t much other ingredients that would take away from its taste. The combination of crispy-chewy cookie, flaky salt, and fruity oil makes a very sophisticated snack.
Pumpkin bread at home
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
In the Kingdom of the Breads, Banana is King. But every year when fall rolls around, I get the craving to make something orange and pumpkin-y. This recipe from Smitten Kitchen is perfect for the once-a-year pumpkin bread baker, because it uses up a whole can of pumpkin puree, is super moist and bouncy in texture, and very easy to assemble. I skipped the whole “sugaring the top” business because I actually don’t like craggly muffin tops. I much prefer everything to have a more uniform, pound cakey texture. Oh, I also baked the batter in two smaller loaf pans, for less doming; it turned out just peachy (or rather, pumpkin-y).
Hario Cha Kyusu Maru Tea Pot (450ml) at home
Order from Amazon, or somewhere less evil.
I have ended the search for the Perfect Teapot with this lovely little glass number from Japanese company Hario (famous for their pour-over coffee set-up, which I am now tempted to purchase). I purchased both the 450ml and 700ml sizes because the collapse of civilization has really been kicking my hoarding instincts in. I was worried the 450ml (approx. 15 oz, or a Starbucks Grande) would be too small, but it’s actually perfect. What makes this the perfect teapot?* First of all, it’s glass, which for me is super important, so you can peep at both the color of the tea to gauge the degree it’s steeped, and also how much you have left to drink. Second, it has a really nice deep mesh tea basket. Tiny tea baskets or worse yet those little ball steepers are the absolute bane of my existence. Tea needs room to breathe and steep! Third, the design is perfectly curved and thick enough to feel both sturdy and cute. ALSO, a bonus is that the 450ml version came with an unsolicited free sponge in the shape of a CAT. I didn’t even ask for it. It’s a Yes from me.
* I like to overuse the word “perfect,” and I’m perfectly okay with it. I have no editor. I have gone feral
Best/worst,
Soph
Special request: Please send me your favorite ideas for HOLIDAY CHEER! What are things one can COVID-safely do at home or in NYC? What are your favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes? How will you muster up some semblance of joy this year? I need your help!