All Sold Out
Birkin, Between the Buttons, Morning Glory Muffins, and 'ze Spot.
When I was a freshman in high school, I found Play: The Nylon Book of Music from a secondhand bookstore in Baltimore. That book changed me, introducing me to Jane Birkin, Fiona Apple, Marianne Faithfull, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, and more. On a rainy day at the end of last week, I stopped into the bookstore around the corner to pickup the new Jane Birkin biography, It Girl. My longest running style icon, Jane Birkin introduced me to Repetto, YSL River Gauche, and the power of a signature bag. I still mark the beginning of summer each year with a fresh pair of Repetto flats. ( I just ordered a pair of their ZiZi loafers in an effort to prolong Repetto season this year after seeing a photo of Mick Jagger in them.)
Reading this book has put me in the headspace of French and British 60’s pop after listening exclusively to Radiohead’s The Bends on repeat since returning from Japan (psychoanalysis cautiously welcome). My favorite Rolling Stone’s album, Between The Buttons, therefore soundtracked this Meal In in an ultimately kismet way.
This week’s Meal Out is where I would have started had I not had Japan on my mind — at my most frequented restaurant that is just across the street.
Meal In: Childhood Morning Glory Muffins
I am not a fan of fall spices. I have a frustrating cardamom allergy that prevents me from enjoying many flavors others associate with the season. This fall muffin has that flavor profile without the entire slew of spices. I find myself forgetting these muffins exist each year. The craving strikes me when fall comes around, and I discover them as if new. The mix of apple, carrots, raisins, coconut, pecans, blueberries and spices like clove and cinnamon make it the perfect sweet breakfast when the first chill is in the air. The taste reminds me of visits to Maine when I was a kid. It is reminiscent of the long hike over a mountain range in Acadia towards Jordan Pond. When we reached the peak, you could look down towards the pond and see the tea house, where the promise of warm popovers with blueberries lay waiting just ahead. The recipe below is adapted from a cookbook my mom purchased during a trip to Bar Harbor back then.
Sunday was dreadful. The first true cold day of the year combined with pouring rain made for the kind of day where you do not want to take the trash out, let alone properly leave the house. I turned on Between the Buttons — Mick Jagger in white Repettos on my mind — and began to bake. When I had measured out and combined all the dry ingredients and was already knee deep in the wet, I realized I was short on sugar. I sucked it up and trekked out in the wet to the corner store, moving the album over to my phone and plugging in headphones. When I arrived, there was no sugar to be found. Just as I looked down and that realization struck me, the song changed over and All Sold Out started playing. I hummed along as I took the soaking walk to Union Market.
The muffins in all their glory.
After preheating the oven to 350º F, I combined 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and a dash of ground nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl. In a large bowl, I combined 3 lightly beaten eggs, 1 cup canola oil, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup finely grated carrots, 1 grated Granny Smith apple, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 3/4 cup chopped pecans, and 1 cup blueberries. I added the dry ingredients to the wet and stirred.
I lined my muffin tins with paper liners and filled them about three quarters of the way full. I baked them for about 15-20 mins in my extremely unreliable and inconsistent oven. When a toothpick came out clean, I took them out and transferred them to my cooling rack. They are great right out of the oven, or briefly heated in the morning with a small pat of salted butter (or better yet, apple butter).
Meal Out: Il Posto Accanto
Out of every restaurant in NYC, Il Posto is likely the one my husband and I frequent most. I love a restaurant with a specials menu. At Il Posto, the specials menu is the main event. While the main menu has the consistent favorites, the specials menu reflects what is at the farmers market each week. Without fail, we always order the market salad, ever changing but always with little gem, ribbons of carrots, avocado, and a goat cheese medallion. This time of year, additional inclusions are fennel, tomatoes, and beets. On Sunday for lunch, they had a personal favorite that made its first appearance at the farmer’s market, puntarelle. Puntarelle is a type of chicory that looks almost asparagus-like. They made it Roman-style, with anchovies, salt, and olive oil, like a lighter baugna cauda. It was heaven. I paired it with another frequent menu item, cannellini beans slow cooked with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary. I sopped up the broth-y bits of bean innards with their house fennel focaccia that comes in a basket (along with a breadstick and sourdough) at the beginning of each meal. Spencer had the pork Ragu. I always have my meal with a glass bottle of Coke with two lemon slices squeezed in. A perfect Sunday.