The midweek digest
A pear and chocolate frangipane tart, golf (yes, really), grocery report, a crunchy pantry find, restaurant news and much more!
Afternoon/evening folks. Welcome to the midweek digest. As you know, the midweek newsletter is usually a recipe — something simple to carry you from Wednesday (or Thursday) to the weekend, such as the recent sticky plum and cardamom rice pudding or the fig torte. That won’t change. But this is a new format: every few weeks, a curated round-up of what’s making me deliriously happy right now — and what I hope might do the same for you. To kick things off we are starting with a huge bumper issue, so get comfortable and keep reading!
This is a rather long post, so if your email cuts out, you can view it in full on the website or app.
I’ve been questioning a few presumptions recently, and have noted that there seems to be a curious pressure to become an expert in just one area of life — to narrow oneself down, to polish a single focus until it gleams. Step outside that lane and suddenly you’re perceived as scattered, flighty, unfinished. That’s a shame, because we can devote ourselves to mastery and still be pulled, joyfully, toward other passions — even those you’ll never perfect.
To be a Renaissance woman or man is to move through the world with curiosity. To keep that spirit alive, I keep a document — a living list, an evolving archive of everything I love. Books I’ve read or want to read. Restaurants I hope to try. Hotels I dream of visiting. Unusual ingredients. Odd phrases, fragments of conversation. Bible verses. Favorite grocery stores. And the occasional hobby I’ve inexplicably fallen for. And of course, there’s also all the new ideas and subjects I would like to explore. It’s a compendium of the miscellaneous, the random, and the wonderful.
I am a creature of habit in some ways — I love traditions — but I’m always looking for what’s next. It is thrilling to consider that your new favorite thing might be just around the corner. I hope this new midweek digest becomes a space to share this archive. I’m not sure why I didn’t start it sooner.
It’s the start of October and the light has softened and the market looks dressed for an autumn ball — all golden squash, russet apples, and the ruby pink of pomegranates. Here’s what I’m scooping up + a downloadable grocery list and quick recipe ideas.
Roast Delicata squash rings with maple syrup and harissa until caramelized, then crown with crumbled feta and crispy sage.
For the sweet/salty fans, hear me out! Roast honey nut squash with butter and maple syrup until tender, serve with flaky sea salt and a scoop of ice cream (the lovely people at Jeni’s ice cream sent me a bunch of flavors and their bay leaf cheesecake flavor is incredible, or try the cinnamon roll).
Bake concord grapes into focaccia, their skins blistering, almost wine-like.
Shave fennel into a salad with oranges, salt, and a scatter of olives.
Scatter jeweled pomegranate seeds over roasted chicken and couscous, or stir them into yogurt.
Slice Fuyu persimmons with salty cheese such as Manchego, enjoy with a dirty martini
Pear and chocolate - a classic combination. Best in a tart. (Tartine bakery inspired-recipe at the bottom of the newsletter).
A perfect Autumn dessert Char Brussels sprouts hard in a cast iron, finish with honey, Parmesan and vinegar.
Pile garlicky buttery pan-fried wild mushrooms on sourdough toast with ricotta or swirl through pasta.
Lazy snack - apples with sharp cheddar on a Ritz cracker
Pan fry plums/plutos for 15-20mins with sugar, cinnamon and a bay leaf and pair with rice pudding or yoghurt.
Roasted honey nut squash to the left, sticky spiced plums to the right. Roast beets until their skins slip, then toss with cumin, dill, or whirl into a magenta beet–yogurt dip.
Dress bitter radicchio with anchovies, lemon, and oil, pile it onto toasted sourdough, and add slices of steak for a salad sandwich with a really satisfying bite.
My husband introduced me to golf five years ago, not long after we’d met. I’d had one of those weeks — the kind that makes your emotions simmer beneath the surface. He suggested we “hit the range.” I had no idea what he meant. We’d just emerged from church, blinking in the bright sunlight, I agreed. “Sure, why not?”
We pulled into the driving range and, frankly, I was horrified. Sports? Absolutely not. He opened the boot and pointed to his golf bag. “Pick one.” I pointed to the largest club and said, “That one.” (The driver, of course.) “Alright,” he said. “Take everything you’re feeling — all the frustration — and channel it into the ball.” We got set up, I swung and absolutely whacked it — 150 yards, straight as an arrow. He was stunned. So was I. Just like that, I was hooked.
Life got busy after that — a pandemic, getting married, the mind-numbing immigration process, changing careers, moving cities, becoming a U.S. citizen, and my dad getting sick. I didn’t play nearly as much as I’d hoped. But living in San Diego means you’re never far from a course. And in the past few months, I’ve fallen back in love with the game — completely, and in my fashion, obsessively.
What I’ve discovered is this: golf clears and focuses the mind in a way that feels like active meditation. As with cooking, it sharpens your attention, coaxes out creativity, and explains why you will be unreachable - blissfully - for hours. Crucially, it’s also the perfect excuse to pack excellent homemade snacks and, on weekends, end the round with a long, lazy lunch.
I had my first proper lesson the other day and promptly spent the evening deep in a golf gear rabbit hole. (Turns out I have very strong opinions about golf bags.) I found a few gems which you'll see below — I’ll keep you posted on this hobby-turned-obsession.
Links here - 1. TaylorMade Kalea Gold Women’s Spider S Putter 2. Clot plaid golf bag from Malbon 3. Women’s AP Pointelle Golf Polo PUMA x Arnold Palmer Collection 4. AP Sweater Collared Golf, PUMA x Arnold Palmer Collection 5. Polo Bear Crewneck Sweater 6. Cobra Golf x Vessel Premium Stand Golf Bag
On the subject of new pursuits, I asked the subscriber chat if anyone had been adventuring or picking up new hobbies — and the replies were such a delight. Adventures included a trip to Paris, a visit to a giant mushroom art exhibition, one subscriber trying their hand at bird banding at a local aviary (so cool!), and another getting down and dirty backpacking the backcountry. They’re currently making their way along the Pacific Crest Trail — 1,400 miles in, after starting back in 2020 and completing it section by section (again, so cool!)
If you’d like to see all the adventures (and share your own), consider becoming a paid subscriber and joining the chat!
New cookbooks keep arriving like guests at a party you’re thrilled to host. A few worth clearing shelf space for:
Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat — from the author who gave us Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat thus changing the way we think about flavor. Here, Sam offers something more intimate: a book of recipes laced with rituals, reminders, and the kind of sage advice that feels as though it’s coming from a dear friend standing beside you at the stove.
Nights and Weekends by Alexis deBoschnek — recipes for dim light, clinking glasses, and the pleasure of preparing rather gorgeous dinner-party worthy food without the fuss.
King — Clare de boer the chef behind Stissing House and King (also founded by Annie Shi and Jess Shadbolt) — has announced a King cookbook, and I, for one, couldn’t be more excited. It’s set to go on sale in November. King has always been a mix of French and Italian cooking, and Clare describes the book as “a reflection and celebration of that special corner of King Street. Detailed, playful, and beautiful.’’ Read more about the book here.
Occasionally, companies send me new products to try. There’s no obligation to post — and I never share anything I haven’t truly lived with. A product has to earn its place: used over time, folded into my routines, something I reach for instinctively.
Last week, a box arrived from Masa, filled with chips in lime, chili, sea salt, and — unexpectedly — churro (very delicious). The timing was uncanny: I’d tasted the lime flavor at my local market the day before, becoming instantly hooked.
They’re deeply toasty, unapologetically corn-forward, and almost dangerously crunchy — the sort of snack you reach for absent-mindedly only to discover that moments later half the bag has disappeared. What I love most, though, is their restraint: organic corn, beef tallow, spices. That’s it. No preservatives, no fillers, none of those puffing agents with scientific-sounding numbers better suited to rocket fuel than food. Simply flavor that tastes like itself. The lime is a sharp little dazzler; the churro, warm and toasty, like fairground air caught in a paper bag.
With the darker nights closing in, the lack of vitamin D, and the chill that seeps into everything, some sort of dopamine hit feels not just desirable but necessary. I can’t help it: at this time of year, I’m hopelessly susceptible to whimsy, especially when it comes to kitchen knick-knacks. Nordic Ware’s autumnal pumpkin moulds and faintly ridiculous Christmas tins are just… irresistible. They promise spiced cakes emerging golden and fragrant, their shapes alone enough to make you forgive the season’s indignities. Slightly silly, entirely charming — and suddenly, incredibly essential. From top left - pumpkin loaf pan, Christmas house pan, santa loaf pan and acorn pan.
UK
Across the pond, back home in London, everyone’s been buzzing about the launch of Carbone — which is all very nice. But what I’m really excited about is what the Beckford Group has in store for 2026. well-known for their quintessential inns located in beautiful areas of the West Country, UK — the team behind Bath’s Beckford Bottle Shop and Canteen — are set to open three new projects: their first hotel, a British brasserie, and a fifth inn. I will try to organize an interview with the directors to get the skinny on the projects.
New York
Closer to home (well, sort of), last week I caught up with the marketing manager at The Carlyle in New York, and we ended up chatting about all things fall and festive. I had no idea they offered a martini-making class — and honestly, I can’t think of anything more New York, or more perfectly cozy for a fall-winter date. At $495 a couple, it’s definitely a splurge — but maybe just right for a special anniversary, or even as an alternative engagement gift.
I don’t think I’ve ever shared beauty recommendations here — apart from Ffern, the Somerset perfume house — but it’s time. A few months ago, F. Miller, a Canadian brand devoted to pared-back, plant-based skincare, kindly sent me some of their products. Since then, I’ve used the body oil and toning mist (plus their serum and face oil) daily. I’m addicted to the toning mist. It’s like cool air after rain — a delicate veil that wakes the skin, soothes it, and leaves a freshness, as though you’d brushed past roses in bloom. Nothing synthetic or cloying. I spritz it morning, night, and often in between — especially on long kitchen days when I’m flushed from stirring soup in ninety-degree heat. The wonderful team at F. Miller Skincare has kindly shared a code for all subscribers: use AGOODTABLE for 20% off sitewide (excluding samples), valid through October 7th.
Speaking of self-care, this portion of the newsletter is sponsored by Ora. Lately, I’ve really been putting my health first — supplements, breakfast, enough protein — and I’ve especially loved Ora’s superfood protein and collagen-boosting powders. Their vanilla protein tastes like a baked treat, far better than the usual chalky shakes. Founded on the belief that plants can transform health without compromising the planet, Ora makes pure, rigorously tested, plant-based supplements that actually deliver. I have a 20% off discount code here if you’re interested.
After workouts and before golf rounds, my current go-to shake is 1 cup cold brew, ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice (especially lovely in fall), 1 date, 1 tablespoon cocoa, ½ cup milk, 2 scoops Ora superfood vanilla protein, 1 scoop Ora collagen-boosting powder, 1 tablespoon flaxseed, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1 small banana (and you can add a tablespoon of maple syrup for extra sweetness if you wish) — blended until smooth and frothy. It tastes like a pumpkin spice mocha.
Pear & Chocolate Frangipane Tart with Vanilla–Saffron Poached Pears
An autumn tart of tender pears, poached with vanilla and saffron, set into a dark chocolate frangipane and a flaky butter pastry. With a spoonful of cool mascarpone alongside, it is both comforting and a little luxurious — the sort of pudding that feels exactly right on a chilly autumn evening.
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