Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of March 8, 2026
This week at The Sunday Paper, we’re sharing a new book, podcast, and film that we believe will add inspiration to your days. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations.
What We’re Watching
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Paradise follows an elite group of individuals peacefully living in an underground bunker. Their lives are rocked when the president, portrayed by James Marsden, is mysteriously killed. Sterling K. Brown plays Secret Service Agent Xavier Collins, who begins to investigate the murder, uncovering information about their underground world that may not be so peaceful after all. Watch Season 2, now streaming on Hulu, to see what finally takes Xavier outside of the bunker.
BONUS: Want more of the winter Olympics? You can watch the incredible athletes competing in the Paralympics on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and streaming on Peacock now on through March 15th. Click here to see the upcoming schedule of events.
What We’re Reading
Jamie Rose is ready to help women identify and squash that inner voice holding them back from channeling their full divine feminine potential in Facing Madame X: The Tools for Women. Using The Tools taught by her mentor Phil Stutz, Rose shows women how they can defeat the inner critic in them, which Stutz calls “Part X”, that is only amplified in women by culture, patriarchy, and years of being told to shrink. Read Rose’s newest book to identify and overcome your own, as Rose calls it, “Madame X.”
What We’re Listening To
The folk-rock revivalists are back with a new album: Prizefighter. Mumford & Sons swing for something both familiar and fresh, pairing their signature stomp-and-soar sound with guest voices like Hozier, Chris Stapleton, and Gracie Abrams. This album reminds fans why they love the band while giving them something fresh.
Sunday Paper Recipe
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Cake
I think desserts are best when simple, though simplicity often is deceptive. This cake takes root from the many others that have come before it. It’s intense, and a slice should be served alone. The flavor will change depending on the olive oil used. Grassy, fatty, astringent kinds won’t work—they taint the cake’s fragility. Opt for a high-grade oil with a smooth mouthfeel and refined fruitful notes, faithful to the hand or place that created it. Some slight bitterness is fine, if not ideal.
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (30g) almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups (300ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon (265g) granulated sugar, plus more for the top
Flaked almonds, for the top
Directions:
Adjust a rack to the middle of the oven, then preheat it to 350ºF (180º). Grease and line an 8-inch (20-cm) round springform cake pan with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, zest, and salt into a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl or measuring jug, stir together the oil, milk, and lemon juice.
In the bowl of a stand mixer that’s fitted with the whisk attachment, or with a balloon whisk and some heavy-handed action, whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed until pale, thick, and voluminous, 3 to 5 minutes. The mixture should fall back onto itself in a trail when the whisk is lifted. Lower the speed and stream in the liquids. Whisk until combined. Whisk in the dry ingredients until almost combined—some floury streaks should remain—then, using a rubber spatula, finish folding together by hand until the batter is uniform. Pour into the prepared pan. Scatter with almonds, then with sugar.
Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until domed, crackled, and golden. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes, then unmold and leave to cool completely. Because this cake is made with oil, it will keep well for 2 to 3 days, intensifying as it sits. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place at room temperature.
The Sixth Sense
No better end than to serve a slice with another liquid gold, the eucharist, Vin Santo, an Italian dessert wine.
Excerpted from Bittersweet: The Five Tastes of Dessert and Beyond (A Baking Book) by Thalia Ho, published by Harvest. Copyright © 2026.
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