In this presentation, traditional chocolate cake is enhanced with silky-smooth Caramel Buttercream offset by crunchy, salty chocolate-covered pretzels. This flavor combination is a best seller for adult birthdays, because it’s unique and sophisticated, but also made with recognizable flavors. The base of this icing is Swiss Buttercream (page 155), so it’s more buttery and not as sugary sweet as traditional birthday cake icing. Flakes of sea salt just lightly sprinkled at the edges of the cake give you an extra little burst of saltiness and help enhance the flavors of the caramel and the cake. The Caramel Buttercream requires a little more work than other icings, but it’s well worth the effort.
This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.
Among the top tier of sauces is Indonesian satay sauce, because it is the embodiment of joy and life. In fact, this sauce is also trustworthy and highly respectful of whatever it comes into contact with—perhaps it is, in fact, the perfect friend?
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
I should address the awkward truth that I don’t use butter here but cream instead. You could, if you’re a stickler for tradition (and not a heretic like me), add a big slab of butter to the finished curry.
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.
A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.