The FBC Cookbook Corner Eat Delicious cookbook review!
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The first thing I do when I receive a cookbook to review is read the introduction. This gives me an insight into how the recipes are linked to the author’s life experiences. Dennis the Prescott is a former touring musician who taught himself to cook through Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks. He combined his passion for cooking and photography in the cookbook Eat Delicious: 125 Recipes for Your Daily Dose of Awesome.
In the next chapter, Photography Saved my Creative Life, he talks about how he transferred his creativity for music into his creativity for photography. It also includes the importance of storytelling and photography tips on how to capture those special stories. It’s quite an interesting read.
The Eat Delicious Cookbook Contents
Chapters
The 125 global recipes are spread throughout the following chapters:
- Breakfast Food
- Burgers
- Pasta
- Pizza
- Noodles
- Warm Bowls of Comfort
- The Family Meal
- From the Sea
- Vegetarian
- Sidekicks (salads and late-night snacks)
- Desserts
Recipes
The recipes are well-formatted and easy to follow. Each recipe is preceded by an anecdote on how the recipe was inspired. Some recipes also include tips on techniques and serving suggestions. In some chapters, there’s a page dedicated to a specific technique; for example, in the Pasta chapter, there’s a whole page on how to cook pasta.
The colour photographs are stunning, as one would expect of Dennis the Prescott.
Each chapter lists at least 10 recipes. Sample recipes from each chapter include:
- Cured Salmon with Avocado and Homemade Muffins, Maple Bacon Scones
- Classic Burgers, Salmon Banh Mi Sandwiches, Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burgers
- Summertime Pasta Salad, Cheesey Marinara Gnocchi Bake, Spaghetti Bolognese
- Pizza Dough, Prosciutto, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Pie, BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Pulled Pork Ramen, Roast Chicken Pho, Super-Spicy Dan Dan Noodles
- Homemade Chicken Stock, Roasted Tomato Soup with Rosemary Croutons
- Five-Spice Beef and Broccolini, Saucy Italian-Style Meatballs, Butter Chicken
- Garam Masala and Beer Mussels, Seafood Chowder, Salmon Poke Bowls
- Crispy Fried Tofu Ramen, Halloumi Burgers, Chana Masala
- Sriracha-Roasted Cauliflower, Sweet Potato Wedges with Curry Mayo Dip
- No Bake Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecakes, Matcha Mint Ice Cream
An Epic Cheese Board (page 214) lists the elements required to make a remarkable cheese board. Pages 334 to 335 list useful information such as temperatures for cooking meat and poultry, and a Universal Conversion Chart.
Tested Eat Delicious Recipes
Bruschetta Pizza (Page 120)
My family loves pizza, but we’re selective with the pizza toppings. There are no fruit or meat toppings (other than prosciutto) to be found on our pizzas. Bruschetta is also one of our favourites so that’s why I chose to make the Bruschetta Pizza.
The Pizza Dough (page 112) was easy to put together. While the dough was rising I made The Pizza Sauce of Your Dreams (Page 113). This was the first time I added parmesan cheese to pizza sauce and I loved the taste! When the dough was ready to roll out, I spread the pizza sauce on the dough, added the diced tomato mixture and topped it with fresh mozzarella.
The pizza bakes quickly (6–8 minutes) in a hot 550° oven. It tasted delicious, capturing the flavours of both pizza and bruschetta on a crispy crust. This will be one of the pizzas I will make in the summer, baking the dough on a pre-heated pizza stone on the barbeque and using fresh tomatoes and basil.
Other pizzas bookmarked to make are Prosciutto, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Pie and Roasted Veggie and Goat Cheese Pizza.
Pulled Saucy Slow-Roasted Pork Burgers with Creamy Coleslaw (Page 64)
It does take some planning to make this dish, but it’s worth every minute. The bone-in-pork shoulder is coated with a spice rub the night before and then it’s cooked in a slow oven for 6 ½ to 7 ½ hours. The aroma that fills the kitchen makes you want to pull the pork out of the oven and eat it right then and there.
I refrained from doing so and kept my wits about me while I prepared the coleslaw. I used a mandolin to shred the cabbages and grated the carrots on a box grater. The mayonnaise-based dressing was quick and easy to prepare. Once the dressing was combined with the cabbages and carrots, the coleslaw tasted fresh and creamy.
After seven hours, the pork was done. I pulled apart the pork shoulder with a fork and added the Spicy-and-Sweet BBQ Sauce (page 75), which I made the same day. When I first read this recipe, I saw that the BBQ sauce is added to the pork only at the end after it’s cooked. So, I only read the ingredient list for the BBQ sauce recipe to make sure I had everything on hand.
Word of advice: read through the whole recipe, as the BBQ sauce is made the night before the pork is cooked to help develop the flavours. But even though I made it the same day, it was full of flavour and tasted delicious. Next time I’ll make it the night before to see if there is a difference in flavour.
I invited our daughter, Camelia, and her husband, Dave, for supper that night to feast on these amazing pulled pork and creamy coleslaw burgers. In the words of Dennis the Prescott, “this combo is next-level sandwiching.” The burgers are quite filling, but my husband and son-in-law managed to eat two each. No one ate the salad I made.
Salted Caramel Apple Parfaits (Page 315)
This is now one of my favourite desserts. I served this dessert the same night as the Saucy Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Burgers with Creamy Coleslaw. I prepared the salted caramel before supper. I have yet to master the art of making caramel, but this recipe turned out perfectly.
After supper I enlisted my son-in-law’s help to peel, core and cut the apples into chunks. I then sautéed the apples and made the Quick Pan Granola. Then, I assembled the Salted Caramel Apple Parfaits into small glasses by layering the caramel, apples and granola. I used a tablespoon or two of plain yogurt to top it off instead of whipping cream as listed in the recipe. The combination of the caramel, apples and granola was a match made in food heaven. Needless to say, I will definitely make this dessert again.
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 11/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 11/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 11/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 11/2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 (5-pound) bone-in pork shoulder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup cola
- 1 recipe Spicy-and-Sweet BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup prepared mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 carrots, grated on a box grater
- 10 to 12 burger buns
- 2 cups of your favorite sliced pickles
- Your favorite hot sauce
- Make the pulled pork: In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Massage the pork shoulder with half of the olive oil, then coat it all over with the spice rub. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Let the pork come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the remaining olive oil. Sear the pork on all sides until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Pour in the cola and transfer the pork to the oven. Immediately decrease the oven temperature to 325°F and cook for 6½ to 7½ hours, or until the pork is basically falling apart and easily shreddable and the kitchen smells like heaven.
- Rest the cooked pork on a board for 10 minutes.
- While the pork is resting, make the coleslaw: In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the cabbages and carrots and mix until smooth. Add the cabbages and carrots and mix until the vegetables are coated and the coleslaw is creamy and delicious. Set aside.
- Shred the pork with two forks, discarding any bones or excess fat. Toss the pulled pork in the pan juices, then pour over as much BBQ sauce as your heart desires and toss.
- Serve on a bun with the coleslaw, the pickles, and the hot sauce. Delicious.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup finely diced red onion
- ½ cup dark beer
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups store-bought organic ketchup
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion, beer, and salt, stir, cover, and cook gently for 15 minutes, watching carefully and stirring every few minutes so the onion doesn’t stick to the pan. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer away for 30 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce directly in the pot until smooth. (Alternatively, carefully transfer the sauce to a regular blender and puree until smooth. Be careful when blending hot liquids.)
- Transfer to a jar, let cool completely, and store in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to develop. The BBQ sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Bookshelf Worthy?
It’s very satisfying for me when I successfully test recipes for a cookbook review. This was the case for Eat Delicious. I’ve learned how to make homemade BBQ sauce and coleslaw and will never buy the store-bought versions again. The varied recipes can be prepared by home cooks of any skill level. I have bookmarked so many recipes to make that this cookbook will stay in my kitchen where possibly it can encourage my family to partake in making the recipes with me when they come for supper. It’s a feel-good type of cookbook.
Eat Delicious: 125 Recipes for Your Daily Dose of Awesome
Author: Dennis the Prescott
Softcover: 346 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers Ltd.
ISBN: 978-1-44344-987-8
Acknowledgement
Recipes and photos from Eat Delicious by Dennis The Prescott ©2017. Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Eat Delicious: 125 Recipes for Your Daily Dose of Awesome cookbook review was written by Liliana Tommasini, author of the aptly named blog My Cookbook Addiction. Her passion for baking and cooking began at an early age. Liliana grew up in an Italian household where each meal was made from scratch with fresh ingredients and Sunday family lunches were always a celebration. She has a passion for collecting and reading cookbooks as she believes that every recipe tells a story. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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