Hello cuties! Welcome to another installment of Hitting Pan, the column in which I wax poetic over products that had me hooked from beginning to end, and make me want to begin again. Here in the pit of winter, we’re trying new fun drinks, erasing time, and keeping hibernation crunchy.
You Had Me at Lychee
There’s a three-block stretch on Smith Street in Cobble Hill that makes me feel like New York is a quaint little village. First I go into Paisano’s and get any meats for the week; I like to hit the freezer while I’m there and pick up a mix of bones to make my insanely gelatinous overnight stock. Then I go into Bien Cuit for a pullman loaf, which they do better than anyone else in the city. Considering it’s a Swedish coffee bar, the bagel with lox at Konditori is excellent, and everyone who works the counter is the coolest person I’ve ever seen. Finally, it’s Ten Ichi Mart, where I always find beautiful little baby bok choy and all the flavors of furikake that we like. I usually also restock kimchi, plain dried ramen noodles, the big bags of sushi rice, Cosmo’s favorite sour lemon candies, and a couple house-made onigiri to snack on in the car ride home. I never check out without adding a special little refreshment for moi—the drinks case is just beyond enticing. That’s how I ended up guzzling this Kirin Salted Lychee drink. It’s slightly cloudy, sweet and floral from the lychee, but also tart and bright from grapefruit. The salt was subtle, but present—would be gloriously hydrating over ice on a hot day. If you see it in your local Asian grocery store, pick one up and report back!! (They’re also sold on line, just Google the product name.)
Why Furrow?
Botox. Ran out. Needed more. Love the stuff! I’ve been told that my regular “thinking face” can come across as more of an intense glaring scowl, and I wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. I get a few pokes on my forehead and between my eyes, and have started getting it in my jaw to treat TMJ. Dr. Dhingra at Spring Street Dermatology smoothes me out without erasing all of my facial expressions. I would like the ability to scowl when appropriate. We’ve done the TMJ injections only twice, but I do think it helps with clenching.
You’re Cel-ing Me!
(see what I did there??)
Dirty secret: I’ve been skipping the Saturday farmer’s market most weekends this winter. I can’t look at topless root vegetables and six-month old apples, I’m sorry, it makes me upset! Can’t claim any causality there, but I have used this time to fall back in love with celery. Deeply, madly, crunchily. This is a pic of a beloved Joshua McFadden recipe from his excellent book, Six Seasons. Essentially you make a lemon vinaigrette with some chile flakes, and then toss in thin slices of celery along with torn dates, toasted nuts, and lots of Parm shavings. It’s one of those “why is this so good???” dishes that overdelivers every time. The other dressing I’ve been using for celery salad is a mixture of black vinegar, a dash of soy, and a spoonful of chili crisp. Could do thin sticks or diagonal slices for that one. Salivating just thinking about it. Also: celery is one of the least expensive vegetables. That said, if you hate celery, Spin It with fennel or endive.
Cock Sauce
You don’t need me to tell you why Sriracha is good. I do want you to know that a) Cosmo put both of these bottles back into the refrigerator as if to taunt me; and b) when I worked at Union Pacific all the line cooks referred to it as “cock sauce” because of the rooster on the label. And because we all loved to curse as much as possible. The more you know.
Justice for Peanuts
Hot take: I’d rather snack on a roasted salted peanut than a roasted salted almond or a tamari almond. True story. Close your eyes and say “cocktail nut.” You see a peanut, right? Peanuts in a glass coke bottle: iconic. Shell-on peanuts at the big game, any game? Classic. When I was working on the recipe for my new banana bread, it seemed so obvious to top it with peanuts—how did walnuts and pecans get the edge there? Peanuts would be a fantastic add to the celery salad with vinegar and chili crisp, above. Just: bring back peanuts.
Celery and peanuts. I’m on it!
Wow! I just made Joshua McFadden’s Celery Salad and enjoyed it immensely! Used celery and Meyer lemons from our CSA box. Thanks for the suggestion! Btw, last week it was Celeriac Salad from NYT. Yum!