James Beard's Persimmon Bread with Pecans and Dates is Ready to Stuff Your Stocking this Christmas.

Plus: Farmer's Market Chicken Stock, a White Bean Soup, and Lots of Links.

Hey everyone,

Did you all watch The White Lotus finale? I thought it was pitch perfect. Imagine having all of those stories to wrap up, offering a satisfying conclusion to the “who dies?” question, and to keep it funny and dramatic at the same time? Mike White is such a genius and I’m so glad he’s finally getting his moment in the sun (even though he’s had plenty of moments in the sun, but this feels like his biggest?). Can’t wait for Season Three.

I was so amped for the finale yesterday, I basically took a quick trip to the farmer’s market…

…and then spent the rest of the day cooking, waiting for it to air.

First up: James Beard’s persimmon bread! I first heard of this on David Lebovitz’s blog and it’s the perfect way to use up hachiya persimmon when they get all soft and squishy and ready to go. Here’s a TikTok I made of the process (including the recipe):

@amateurgourmetWhat to do with your ripe persimmons? Make James Beard’s persimmon bread! A cinch to put together and it makes your house smell so good. #cooking #foodlover #foryou #fyp #foodtiktok #recipe #food #baking #christmascooking #persimmon #yum #easyrecipes #foodie

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I’m really into making loaf cakes lately. Maybe because they feel more virtuous than the typical cake cake? And because some of them are called “bread” (like banana bread, persimmon bread) even though they’re really cake?

Adam Roberts @amateurgourmet

You call a cake “bread” when you want to justify spreading it with butter (banana bread, persimmon bread, etc).

In any case, if you see persimmons at the farmer’s market, grab a bunch and go to town. This stuff is wintertime gold.

What else did I do with my farmer’s market goods? I made stock!

I mean this was A+ stock making and the best possible way to spend a rainy Sunday. I bought a whole chicken from the egg people for $9 (a perfect soup chicken) and added it to this pot with whole carrots, celery, onion (skin-on to help tint the broth), garlic sliced through the middle, Parmesan rinds, fennel fronds, thyme, and bay leaves. Then I covered it with cold water — this was in a huge stock pot so it was a lot of water — and simmered for several hours.

Then I strained into a Dutch oven and cranked up the heat to reduce it.

Look at that color! I reduced it just to concentrate it, but it was already very flavorful.

Now then: while I was doing the stock stuff I was also cooking Rancho Gordo Marcella beans with chopped up carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. When they were done, I poured them into a bowl and sautéed cabbage and fennel and onions in the same pot, added the beans and liquid back, plus some of my reduced stock.

A whole lotta soup makin’ going on.

To finish the soup, I added some pasta and topped with black pepper, lots of cheese, and lemon zest.

And what did I do with all of that stock and extra soup? I put it into jars and put the jars in the freezer. A gift to myself for cold winter’s nights to come.

How’s that for one day of cooking? I even did all of the dishes before I went to bed. I’m a domestic goddess, apparently.

Here are some Monday links for ya:

• Jaya Saxena picks apart the cliché of the children of immigrants growing up ashamed of their lunchbox (Eater);

• Ruth Reichl continues her Christmas gift guide (La Briffe);

• Obsessed with this NYC culinary subway map (Kottke.org);

• Gotta go to Lord’s on my next trip to NY (Eater NY);

• Restaurant Dishes We Couldn’t Stop Thinking About This Year (NYT).

That’s all for today, folks!

In case you missed Thursday’s paid-subscriber’s only dispatch, I shared my recipe for Back Pocket Cacio e Pepe. I also wrote about my dinners at Yangban Society (where I had the best chicken wing of my life), Dunsmoor, and my lunch at Tartine featuring a turkey club with crispy chicken skin. If you want to read that, plus gain access to my full archives, and get this upcoming Thursday’s newsletter in your inbox, become a paid subscriber now.

Have a great Monday,

Adam