And just like that… 2021 is coming to an end and Miranda is an alcoholic. Personally, we miss when she was just addicted to sugar – much more relatable! The end-of-year recaps have come rolling in to remind us that despite the way it feels, time actually is passing (and love actually is, everywhere!) and that there are plenty of things for you to watch, listen to, and generally consume should you have to quarantine (again.) There were highs and lows of culture in 2021 — bucatini disappeared, Milk Culture returned, and TikTok “recipes” dominated our ever-dwindling brain cells. Who among us did not fold a quesadilla four ways?! Side note: thank you to TikTok for our 2021 Song of the Year and an early frontrunner for 2022's anthem. Perhaps the most stunning revelation of 2021 was discovering Steve Aioki is the heir to Benihana, and living his own version of Succession but with onion volcanoes instead of politicos. But here at Sifted, we measure the passing of time in a different way: with our Best Bites of the Week. So, to commemorate the year coming to a close, we’re rounding up our Top 10 Bites of the Year, and sharing our over-the-top, as-festive-as-we-get NYE menus, in case you need some last minute inspiration. Or you could just eat shrimp cocktail like everyone, and I mean everyone else (including Gab, lol).
This year was weird.
SO YOU’RE STAYING IN FOR NYE
Court: I’m about ten years late but I’m finally watching Mad Men. In honor of Don Draper, Alex and I found it fitting to theme our NYE menu 60s Steakhouse.That includes a steak (reverse-seared if I have anything to do with it), gougères (in honor of Megan), Molly Baz’s Caesar salad, and a brownie sundae, to boot. If we are really sticking to the Mad Men playbook, the (gin martini) drinking will commence around 10am.
Gab: I’m sorry, but the idea of boiling big, fat, fancy shrimp in boiling water seasoned with lemon, fennel, shallot and garlic sounds so fun to me, and for that reason, I will be making shrimp cocktail tonight. Once they’re cooked, peeled, cooled and ready to be dunked in cocktail sauce, I’ll also start sipping on some version of a French 75 (likely sans simple syrup because I’ll be too busy peeling and deveining those shrimp) made with this prosecco. Once I’m full of enough shrimp and appropriately buzzed, I’ll slide a spoon into the butterscotch banana pudding that’s been softening in my fridge since last night. I started with this butterscotch pudding, folded in ½ cup of whipped cream, then layered that with lots of paper thin slices of banana and whole Nilla Wafers. Will report back in the new year.
OUR 10 BEST BITES OF THE YEAR
A look back at a year of everyone’s favorite column. These were our favorite bites, plates, spoonfuls, and sips in 2021, in no particular order.
Gab:
Homemade Eclairs: On the first day of this year, I made a tray of cream-filled, glossy chocolate-covered eclairs that have maintained their status as one of my most delicious bites all the way up until the last day of the year (today). The buttery, salty, eggy choux dough is a real treat to snack on, and is surprisingly simple to make yourself. If you’re intrigued and want to start 2022 with a batch of your own, I have just one tip for you: do not give up on your choux and start crying when you watch the way each ball of batter quickly transitions from glossy and bright yellow to dense, spongy and pale after just ten minutes in the oven. Trust that with more time, they will brown to the perfect golden shade and rise enough to hollow out and make room for a sweet and simple whipped cream filling. For the full deets and recipe head over to our dearest Digestivo’s newsletter.