persimmon brioche (overnight, no knead)

still learning how to shape my rolls so they actually look swirly on the inside ;D

happy 2026? been quite the sprint these last few months. i've been cooking a lot and staying off my computer as much as possible. actually, cooking for me has been almost compulsive recently– to the point where i've even started baking. anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a baker. baking is a science, and I am simply too undisciplined to follow a recipe to a T. however it does suck wasting ingredients just because you wanted to riff on someone's throughly researched instructions, so I looked around the internet and adapted this King Arthur Flour recipe to use persimmon instead of strawberry because i had two very ripe hachiyas practically bursting on my counter. 

soft, milky, spongey. great with the morning coffee.

mala pastrami, a xmas miracle

One of my most ambitious projects yet, and so so so worth the time, effort, and money spent. 

I did not end up going home for xmas with G this year because I was out of PTO and money, so left to my own devices I decided to make pastrami from scratch.

I preordered 5 pounds of brisket from my local butcher (shout out Meat Hook!) and brined it for 4 days in J's fridge (which is far less laden with Chinese preserves and condiments than mine). Then we lathered on a Sichuan-inspired rub and baked it for 14 hours on low temp overnight and the slab returned to our counter the next morning tanned like it had just vacationed in Greece. Finally, to revive its juices and ready it for the cutting board we gave it an hour long steam bath. I also made the rye bread, the tahini mustard, and sauerkraut all from scratch.