picks vol.3

A weekly curation of things worth pouring, wearing, and reading — because taste is political, too.

What We’re Wearing:

https://liketk.it/5rWrr all saints jacket, khaite jeans, gabriela hearst bag, gianvito rossi shoes … autumn, elevated.

What We’re sipping: ina garten’s autumn sangria

mood: a slow autumn afternoon wrapped in cinnamon and cabernet.

ingredients:

½ cup sugar

4 (3-inch) whole cinnamon sticks

1 (750-ml) bottle Cabernet Sauvignon or Rioja

1½ cups fresh apple cider

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp apple brandy, such as Calvados

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp pear brandy

1 small (or ½ large) Gala or Fuji apple, halved, cored and thinly sliced crosswise

1 Granny Smith apple, halved, cored and thinly sliced crosswise

1 small (or ½ regular) red Bartlett pear, halved, cored and thinly sliced crosswise

1 small (or ½ regular) green Bartlett pear, halved, cored and thinly sliced crosswise

¼ cup pomegranate seeds

½ orange, halved through the stem end and thinly sliced crosswise

directions:

• Combine the sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 3 minutes, until sugar dissolves completely. Cool, transfer to a container, add cinnamon sticks, cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours. The longer it sits, the more intense the flavor will be.

• In a large (2-quart) pitcher, combine wine, apple cider, apple brandy, pear brandy, ½ cup cinnamon syrup and all the fruit. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 72 hours. Fill wine goblets ¾ full with ice, pour in Sangria; spoon some of the macerated fruit into each glass. Serve ice cold.

What We’re Cooking:

ingredients (4 servings):

pears

light brown sugar

maple syrup

lemon

unsalted butter

thyme sprig

biscoff biscuits

flaked sea salt

ricotta

greek yogurt

ground cinnamon

directions:

• preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

• place the pears and water in a medium frying pan or baking dish for which you have a lid (alternatively use foil) and top with the light brown sugar, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice, and butter. cover and place in the oven for 20 minutes. then remove the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes until the pears are tender and the caramel has thickened.

• meanwhile, place the ricotta, yogurt, maple syrup and cinnamon in a food processor and blend till smooth or mix with a spoon in a bowl if you prefer more texture.

• to serve, divide the yogurt between serving plates. spoon the pears on top along with the syrup, crumble the biscuits over followed by a pinch of salt.

why we love it:

an easy but elegant ode to fall — soft pears, cozy spice, and calm indulgence.

what we’re reading: educated by tara westover

• educated is tara westover’s breathtaking memoir of growing up off the grid in the idaho mountains with survivalist parents who rejected modern life entirely — no schools, no doctors, no birth certificates. at seventeen, she teaches herself enough to leave for college and eventually cambridge. what unfolds is an achingly beautiful story about the courage it takes to choose yourself over your family, to trust your own truth when everything you’ve known tells you otherwise, and to understand that real transformation often means letting go of who you were to become who you’re meant to be.

The Veritas Takeaway: 

intentional living is political. every choice — what you cook, read, or believe — is a quiet vote for the world you want to live in.