There’s something really nostalgic about having a Deep’n Delicious Cake. I remember as a kid when we used to order takeout for dinner, maybe from pizza hut or some other fast food establishment, and we would specifically look for the meals that came with a Deep ‘n Delicious cake. Nowadays, you can find this in the freeze aisle of every grocery store. I’m not sure if that was the case back then since I didn’t go to the grocery store with my mom, (unless it was Costco).
There are many versions of buttercream: American, Swiss, French and Italian. There are subtle differences in overall texture, but beyond that each has its own advantages and disadvantages. With similar ingredients like sugar and butter, it comes down to technique and execution. This recipe is for a Swiss (meringue) buttercream. Swiss meringue buttercream is one of the easier, stable buttercream to execute (compared to Italian and French). Compared to American, it is definitely less sweet and has more of a velvety texture. This recipe adds dark chocolate at the end and is used to top my version of a Deep N’ Delicious cake.
This meal came about as the intersection of two lines of thought. We wanted to try out the old fashioned (original) macaroni and cheese recipe, as featured on the Netflix series High on the Hog (recommended, by the way!). And, I’d been wanting to try adding butternut squash to macaroni and cheese ever since we ended up with way too many (is there such a thing) squash last fall. Earlier this week we finally got around to trying a mix of the two…we cooked the macaroni in equal parts milk and water (4 cups and 4 cups), then used the leftover cooking liquid (about a litre) to make the sauce with a roux: melted 5 Tbsp (75g) butter and softened some diced garlic and onions in it; added 1/4 cup (34g) flour and cooked it for about a minute, seasoned with salt and paprika; slowly added the reserved cooking liquid (we were able to use all the liquid from cooking the pasta, so the water and milk didn’t have to go to waste) and brought everything to a boil; added about 2 cups (300g) cubed butternut squash and let simmer for about 45 minutes. After that we added some cheese (shredded, mixed cheddar, about 1 cup) and stirred to combine with the macaroni. We added hot dogs (obviously), divided it into 3 baking dishes (good portions for 2 people), and topped with breadcrumbs and extra cheese before baking (and freezing for later).
Every year, I try to develop new recipes for the kiddies that can be easily duplicated in class as well as at home with minimal tools and equipment. Who doesn’t like pizza right? With a no-knead approach, they don’t have to worry about a lack of equipment at home or even know the basic bread theory (gluten development, DDT, …). They can just enjoy a pizza that can easily be duplicated at home for friends and family. Fun fact: I often get stories about students’ parents asking them to take care of dinner multiple nights a week after gaining some experience in my class. It brings a smile to my face every single time.
This is a basic dark chocolate ganache recipe that is a go-to recipe for me. I like the consistency and mouth feel with these specific proportions. Whenever I am starting new recipes, I often use this as a base ganache recipe and then tweak it based on the final flavouring I want. I use it in tarts, cakes, truffles, the list goes on…
Smoothies & Sundaes 