Our Thanksgiving baking plans went out the window—this serves us well for claiming we make the best cannelés (note the two Ns) this side of the Atlantic. Not only had we never baked them with our new oven, but we also waited until the day before our train to New York to do our test bake, for a total of exactly zero margin of error. We were punished for our hubris, and I’m not going to show the results—not even for a self-deprecating laugh.

So we resorted to an old favorite, my dad’s sour cherry and custard tart, which we stuffed with forty cherries to make sure that no one would complain they didn’t get at least one. And when I say cherries I mean Amarena Fabbri, which probably makes it the most expensive dessert I’ve made in a while—or ever.

Custard tart with amarena

Notes and links

• 2025 gift guide

  To be clear, these are not things I want, but gifts I’ve already given or received in past years, uncategorized and in no particular order. I’ll also try to keep it updated.

• Raymond Biesinger isn’t too worried about slop machines taking his job

  Some good points, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be an optimist about this.

• How IT managers fail software projects

  Hear the gongs going off in my brain?

• Airlines will shut down program that sold your flight records to government

  This is such good news that I’m wondering where the catch is.

• Top EU court mandates same-sex marriage recognition across borders

  Small steps.