Fall. Pears and apples are in season. Persimmons are amazing. Pomegranates are so back. And we’re about to enter a season of glorious citrus!
Let me invite you to explore a few curious pairings that might make your fall - or autumn - even better. Sometimes it’s as obvious as combining a glass of freshly pressed orange juice (OJ) with freshly pressed pomegranate juice (PJ) or having a jammy fig with some toasted almond flakes. The world is yours. You can truly just do things (!!)
This time around we leaned a little Italian (as we all do sometimes) with some pairings that you might not have thought to enjoy together.
Arugula + Carpaccio
It’s so simple yet elegantly tasteful. Thinly sliced raw beef is amazing with peppery arugula and you have to drizzle some good extra virgin olive oil on top as well. Incredibly refreshing. Takes barely any time at all.
Pear + Red Wine
You can always snack on a pear raw but if you’re feeling like taking things up a notch, poach gently in red wine - perhaps with a cinnamon stick thrown in! As the days get colder it’s always incredibly cozy to have some warm fruit.
Cappuccino + Dark Chocolate
It’s amazing how just a little square of chocolate elevates a morning cappuccino. It’s no wonder the Italian breakfast doesn’t need much. Hearty cappuccino. Chocolate. And warm pastries to go with. Elite. Glorious way to start a cold, crisp day.
Sardines + Sourdough
I love sardines. They’re one of the most underrated foods in the world. So good for you, low levels of heavy metals and they also taste great! Grill them with good olive oil, lemon zest and serve them on toasted sourdough with generous drizzles of niche extra virgin olive oil. 10/10 snack.
Yogurt + Pomegranate
Pomegranate is one of the great joys of life. Sometimes it’s nice to sprinkle a few arils over a bowl of yogurt - you could even add a drizzle of raw honey if you want it sweeter! Divine snack.
Hot Cacao + Orange Wedge
Citrus and chocolate is a match made in heaven. Instead of just having orange-infused chocolate you could indulge in a cup of hot cacao with a wedge of glorious orange squeezed in (or just eaten alongside). Extremely cozy activity.
Ossobuco + Risotto Milanese
This was the best dish I had in Milan. Ossobuco falling off the bone served over a bed of soft risotto that perfectly complements it. If you’re lucky you might get a chunk of bone marrow as well. There’s a reason this is one of the most iconic dishes in Milan and stood the test of time.
Persimmon + Chèvre
Huge fan of a firm, sweet fuyu with a little tangy goat cheese perhaps with raw honey and a pinch of flaky salt.
Apple + Caramel
Pure nostalgia. Good caramel and a beautiful Cosmic Crisp will take you back to your childhood. One of the best snacks to make!
“Affogatos force you to be present. It's beautiful how incredibly time sensitive it is. The moment you pour piping hot espresso on gelato, the clock starts ticking. You are forced to put your phone down and enjoy the medley of flavors in your mouth. Perhaps with one spoon you get more espresso. But then it all balances out when you scoop more gelato. They complement each other perfectly. Tastefully buzzed. Star crossed lovers.”
Espresso + Gelato
It’s never too cold for affogato. Imo it’s the BEST two ingredient dessert ever invented. All you need is a shot of espresso over a scoop of beautiful gelato. Learn more here:
Mash + Thyme
Never underestimate a good mash - especially when whipped with good raw butter and a little fresh thyme. One of the coziest things you can put on a plate as it gets cold. If you want to see just how far mash can go, look to Joël Robuchon’s legendary pommes purée!! It’s one of the first recipes we featured here in WARKITCHEN, recipe here:
Tiramisù + Tiramisù
I don’t make the rules. There is simply no such thing as too much tiramisù. Pair your slice of tiramisù with another. You absolutely deserve it.
What are you most excited to try? What are some of your favorite pairings for autumn?
As it gets colder, eat more red
As it gets colder, eat more red. Make borscht. Braise some oxtail. Snack on pomegranate. Sear a fatty ribeye. Enjoy the last of fall cranberries. Blood orange juice. Anjou pear. Cosmic crisp. Brisket Sundays. You deserve real nourishment ❤️
Fruit Matrix
As we head into pomegranate season this is your reminder that every minute spent freeing those pom jewels is worth the reward (it's time to rewire your dopamine receptors anyway). What are some fruits you snack on that are absolutely worth the effort?
❋ The Essential Gestures of a Beautiful Life by A Private Correspondence
“I do not really see “the everyday” as something separate from life’s better moments. There are, of course, grand occasions, and I shall do everything in my power to make those feel special too. But if anything, I think one ought to make more of ordinary days, not less. I have never understood the logic of saving everything lovely for some vague future occasion, as though life begins only once the right guest list has assembled or the calendar finally approves.
I do not wait for special occasions. I make them.” — A Private Correspondence
❋ A few things i’ve been cooking lately by Pamelia Chia
“The weather’s turning cold in the Netherlands and our scarves and jackets are out. Figs are in season and I’ve been enjoying them so much — both the leaf and the fruit. If you have never tasted or cooked with fig leaves, it tastes similar to the fruit, but with a vegetal note. On occasions where I’ve been lazy to make a trip to the Asian grocer to get pandan for desserts, I sometimes use fig leaves instead — its intensity of colour and ability to pair well with coconut makes it a remarkable substitute.
Because the season is so fleeting, I always order fig desserts when I see them on menus. One of best in recent memory is from Planque in London: a comforting plate of rice pudding drizzled sparingly with fig leaf oil and topped with slivers of fresh fig. The combination of dairy and fig is dreamy, a flavour combination that could take so many forms. Here’s one way that also happens to be very portable, if you do decide to share it with friends or neighbours like I did” — Pamelia Chia
❋ Apple streusel cheesecake buns by Kiley Heard
“Texas is finally calling for some 60-degree days this weekend (thank goodness), which seems like the perfecttt time for these Apple Streusel Cheesecake Buns! A crisp fall morning with one of these and a hot cup of coffee on the side sounds like a dream to me.
They start with an insanely soft and pillowy dough, that is to tender and practically just melts into your mouth with every single bite. Then tucked inside the center of each is a rich and tangy cheesecake filling alongside a homemade apple pie filling. The apple pie filling is warming, perfectly spiced, full of tart apples, and it just couldn’t work more perfectly with the cheesecake filling. Then on top is a pecan oat streusel that’s buttery, crunchy, and holds the best little crunch for each bite. I personally love the nuttiness from the pecans here, but if you don’t like them or there’s an allergy, you can simply omit them! Finished with a maple vanilla bean glaze that melts over the top and ties everything together beautifully — they deserve nothing less than to be served warm with a hot cup of coffee.” — Kiley Heard
❋ How is music possible by Henrik Karlsson
“How is it possible for music to alter the world like this? It’s like when you take a scene from a horror movie and add funny music and the killer suddenly looks hilarious. Isn’t it strange that that happens? Why can we put certain sounds together that make the trees feel unfamiliar? Music is tones and rhythms in various mathematical relationships to each other—it is almost pure abstraction.2 Why should that move us? It is a realm of patterns largely independent of outside reality, and yet, when Maud closes her eyes, the music leads her somewhere, to some inner landscape.” — Henrik Karlsson
❋ 50 New York City recommendations for weirdly specific situations by Emilie
“As someone who tends to get bored easily (I’m working on being content with boredom!!), it’s the greatest gift to live somewhere where you can choose your own adventure and switch it up whenever and however you want to. Because sometimes I want to feel like I’m part of a secret collegiate society and sometimes I want to go to a karaoke bar but listen to someone with good pitch do all the singing and sometimes I want to ugly cry watching people reach their goals and other times I want to feel like I’m part of a towel-choreography health cult on a different planet (stick with me, this will make sense later). And New York has options for all of these.
If you’re bored in New York City, you’re doing something wrong.” — Emilie
❋ Joy is an ingredient too by Ella Henry
“When you start to limit the things that bring you joy in the pursuit of “health”, it is no longer health. Naturally I reach for extra virgin olive oil over seed oils because that is my preference, but on the holiday dinner table when I didn’t have control over what went into each recipe, I enjoy it because it was made with love & I am making memories with friends and family.
Laughter, dancing, hugging, joy, love—these are ingredients of health that fuel us more than anything else. The things you can’t read on an ingredient label. The things that truly matter.
Food has always been my love language. But I let fear mongering, disguised as health and wellness, consume me to the point where I lost that for a while. Be careful of what you consume on the internet. That noise used to distract me, but now I see right through it. Fear and stress are the antithesis of health and wellness.” — Ella Henry
❋ Why Fall Leaves You Tired All Day & Wired At Night by Zaid K. Dahhaj
“You’ve probably felt it already.
You wake up groggy after a full night in bed. Your energy drops off a cliff mid-afternoon. By evening you’re wired and can’t fall asleep. Your mood feels a shade grayer, and you can’t really say why.
Most people blame stress, or caffeine, or getting older. They try a new supplement, a sleep app, an earlier bedtime. And yet, nothing sticks.
The master circadian clock in your brain governs the entire circadian system. Every morning, it waits for one zeitgeber (external circadian cue) to set the time within the circadian clocks in your body.. bright light reaching your eyes. That bright ligh tells your body when to wake up, when to make energy, when to release melatonin that night, when to start the process of digestion, and so many other downstream mechanisms.
In fall, the light gets weaker. The sun rises later. You’re indoors before it gets bright. Indoor light is a fraction of what the sky gives you, even on a cloudy day. Through this, your circadian clock system never gets a clear “it’s morning time” message.” — Zaid K. Dahhaj
Rebuild your IG Algorithm (more fun links):
❋ This week’s lifestyle news for founders, creatives, and entrepreneurs by The Liber
❋ Why does the color blue show up in every artist’s most honest work?
❋ A 4 foot sink seems unnecessary until you see how it functions
❋ How to fix weird food coloring in your videos
❋ Mario Bellini’s 19th-century Milan palazzo
❋ Apples!!! The most versatile and comforting of all the fruits in my opinion
Have a beautiful rest of your week!
— Rocky
❋ All our digital issues are free to peruse. Explore our latest:
❋ Winter 25/26 Coffee Table Book (Print)
❋ Explore the full WARKITCHEN archive here.
❋ Join WARKITCHEN book club here.
❋ Got an article or recipe in mind? We’d love to hear more! Please send your pitch to rocky@warkitchen.net.
thanks so much for the mention!! 🥹
Thank you so much for the mention, I really appreciate it!