Eat Delicious by Dennis the Prescott

It was a busy week and I did not get a chance to post this weeks cookbook selection before today!  So, this will be a longer post.

Eat Delicious is one of my newest cookbooks.  Received this past Christmas Gift it is still sitting on my coffee table with lots of tabs in it indicating the recipes I want to try.  Since the tabs were all there I just had to figure out a menu!

Written by Dennis the Prescott a native New Brunswicker, a musician who learned to cook, out of necessity, while on the road with the band.   He threw himself into the process, not only by developing his own recipes but also styling and photographing the food.  He became an Instagram sensation with his food photography on his account Eat Delicious, Dennis the Prescott which lead to the book.

Easy to prepare recipes from scratch, with his own unique instructional style.  He explains them as if he was having a conversation with you, for example in his recipe for English Muffins he tells you to "let the dough get nice and comfortable until it's double in size,"!
I was going to make the Homemade English Muffins, as I have not made English muffins before, but the week got away from me, but it is still on my to do list.  What I did make was;

Cured Salmon (page 20)

Cheesy Marinara Gnocchi Bake (page 98-100)

Tuscan-Style Panzanella Salad (page 292)

and for dessert, because there is an abundance of great apples out there:

Salted Caramel Apple Parfaits.  (page 315)

Smoked Salmon is a treat that I have at Christmas and my Birthday.  I have seen many recipes for Cured Salmon but have always been timid of trying.  Usually the recipes called for a large amount of salmon - what if it didn't turn out, what a waste. 

The recipe in the book is really very simple,  the only hard part was waiting the 48 hours before I could enjoy the results but it was worth the wait!  Silky smooth with just the right balance of flavours.  In addition to a dinner appetizer I have been enjoying the salmon with cream cheese on a bagel for breakfast the last few mornings - I am in heaven.   My Christmas treat just got better!

Gnocchi is something I frequently buy but rarely make - I am not sure why because Gnocchi is simple to make.  A fact I was reminded of when I decided to try the Cheesy Marinara Gnocchi Bake in the book.  The simple Marinara sauce with a little heat from the red pepper flakes was a great sauce to combine with the Gnocchi that went in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.   In my opinion, once you have made your own Marinara Sauce you will never go back to store bought and this Marinara Sauce will certainly be a go to sauce again and again. 

I paired the Gnocchi bake with the Tuscan-Style Panzanella Salad.  I must admit I haven't been using a lot of leafy greens in my salads lately.  Usually when I buy leafy greens they wilt or go bad before I have a chance to eat them all up.  With this salad there was not a leafy green in site.  Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Red Onions tossed in a flavourful vinaigrette.  Throw in some home made croutons and you have got a great salad that is almost a meal on its own. 

I ended the meal with Salted Caramel Apple Parfaits.  There seems to be a lot of steps to make  this dessert. The Salted Caramel Sauce, saute the apples, make the granola, whip the cream, but it really didn't take much time to bring together.  The caramel sauce had a nice hint of smokiness that balanced the sweet.  The granola had a satisfying crunch and the whole thing together made for a lip smacking finish to the meal.

Dennis the Prescott provides easy instructions to both traditional dishes (with a twist)  and new ones. Eat Delicious is still easy to find, so if you don't have it I would recommend adding it to your collection.

Though one thing I have learned from looking through this cookbook - I have to work on my food styling / photography!  Have a great week.  Off to pick out my next cook book.