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Discovering the cookbook series Rock Recipes by Barry C. Parsons is like finding the Holy Grail for delicious homestyle comfort food, along with showstopping entertaining recipes. Hailing from “The Rock” (Newfoundland), Barry C. Parsons’ blog RockRecipes.com was named “one of the best food blogs in Canada” by the National Post. Parsons has now written five cookbooks, and you will want all of them!
There are three cookbooks in the series: Rock Recipes: The Best Food From My Newfoundland Kitchen, followed by “Rock Recipes 2: More Great Food From My Newfoundland Kitchen and Rock Recipes 3: Even More Great Food and Photos From My Newfoundland Kitchen. Other titles include: Rock Recipes Christmas: Your Complete Guide to a Delicious Holiday Season and Rock Recipes Cookies: A Decade of Decadent Recipes.
For the sake of space, we reviewed Rock Recipes 2 and 3.
Rock Recipes 2
Rock Recipes 2 features traditional favorites such as Newfoundland Raisin Tea Buns and Newfoundland Fish Cakes; easy homestyle classics like Meatloaf with Sweet Onion Glaze and Sage Thyme Chicken Stew and Cornbread Dumplings. A few showstopper recipes sure to wow family and friends include Parmesan Panko Crusted Rack of Lamb and Prosciutto Wrapped Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts followed by The Ultimate Strawberries and Cream Cake. As you might expect, there are plenty of seafood recipes as well, such as Mussels Marinara, Roasted Tomato Fennel Lobster Bisque and Orange Mint Grilled Shrimp.
Chapters include Chicken; Beef, Pork and Lamb; Seafood; Quick and Easy Dinners, Slow-Cooked Sunday; Side Dishes and Soups; Brunch; Cookies and Bars; Cakes and Dessert. What I love most, aside from the must-try recipes and gorgeous full colour photos, is that Parsons has numbered the instructions for each recipe making it super simple to follow. And then you have a mouthwatering photo to show what the finished dish looks like.
Rock Recipes 3: Even More Great Recipes From My Newfoundland Kitchen
Rock Recipes 3: Even More Great Recipes From My Newfoundland Kitchen follows suit with similar chapters and ‘Even More’ delicious recipes to entice readers to gather the family around the dinner table to enjoy a home-cooked meal. Entertaining is a breeze with recipes like Creamy Seafood Chowder, Honey Garlic Sticky Ribs, Herb Crusted Pork Loin, Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken and Honey Garlic Meatballs.
If you follow Barry Parsons’ blog, you will know that he loves baking cakes. There’s an entire chapter devoted to cakes. A few delicious cake recipes in Rock Recipe 2 include the awe-inspiring Ultimate Strawberries and Cream Cake, Too Tall Neapolitan Cake and Double Chocolate Truffle Cake. Some of the old-fashioned cake recipes in Rock Recipes 3 will likely bring back some childhood memories, including Parson’s Joe Louis Cake, White Velvet Strawberry Shortcake, and Spanish Bar Cake. And be sure to try the recipe for Jamaican Rum Cake –delicious!
From simple to showy, Barry C. Parsons shows us how to create real food in our own kitchens and then just sit back and enjoy the compliments! These are two books you will use repeatedly because, in terms of great cookbooks, Barry C. Parsons’ Rock Recipes rock!
Please come back soon to find links to recipes from both of these Newfoundland themed cookbooks.
lead photo Creamy Seafood Chowder from Rock Recipes 3: Even More Great Food and Photos From My Newfoundland Kitchen, copyright © 2020 Barry C. Parsons. Photos by Barry C. Parsons. Published by Breakwater Books.
Rock Recipe books are available through Amazon and at Rock.Recipes.com. Rock Recipes 2: More Great Food and Photos From My Newfoundland Kitchen by Barry C. Parsons, © 2015 Barry C. Parsons. Photos by Barry C. Parsons. Published by Breakwater Books. Rock Recipes 3: Even More Great Food and Photos From My Newfoundland Kitchen, copyright © 2020 Barry C. Parsons. Photos by Barry C. Parsons. Published by Breakwater Books.
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