By Chef Dez/Special to Langley Advance Times

I am excited to announce the release of my new cookbook: Cooking Around the World with Chef Dez, with over 130 recipes.

It has been four years since the release of my last cookbook, The Best In Your Kitchen, so it was about time to offer up another bound edition of my recipes.

My Zoom cooking classes are the recent catalyst in the creation of this cookbook.

Pretty much since the pandemic started, I went virtual with my cooking classes, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

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This switch allowed people from all over the world to tune in and find out what the Chef Dez experience was all about.

Through the cooking adventures of these classes, many recipes were created and perfected.

One of the most popular series of classes I am doing is the Chinese take-out series and this new book containers a full chapter of these take-out favourites.

There are also many other chapters that cover all the subjects from appetizers through to desserts, and beyond.

One of my regular viewers, who discovered me through these Zoom classes, wrote to me and I have quoted her in part on the back cover of my book, as follows:

“Thank you for your cooking classes and your recipe books. Best recipes we’ve ever tried. I find most recipes from cookbooks, magazines, Pinterest, etc. are always lacking in flavour, or that ‘wow’ factor. Every recipe I have tried from your classes, and recipe books, have been simply amazing! So full of flavour, and always have that ‘wow’ factor. They are also easy to follow, with no crazy ingredients or measurements. I have been cooking for 30 years and have gone through many, many recipe books. Yours have blown me away. Thanks so much, and I look forward to learning more.”

~ Karen F., Langley

Autographed, pre-ordered copies are available to purchase through www.chefdez.com for an introductory price of only $14.95 (plus tax & shipping) for a limited time only, and shipping will commence approximately July 9.

Unsigned copies are also being offered through Amazon worldwide.

With more than 220 pages, these recipes are packed full of flavour, easy to follow, and don’t call for any obscure ingredients.

During the 18 years of my culinary career, I have helped literally thousands of people to rekindle their love for cooking, and I know that this latest cookbook will continue to do so.

The one question people always ask me about my books, is “which recipe is your favourite?” And although that question is always tough to answer, in this book I would have to say my chicken marbella recipe.

Chicken marbella is a recipe of chicken legs that are marinated – for one to two days – with prunes, olives, and a myriad of other ingredients. Then the whole works get dumped onto a sheet pan and baked off in the oven. The result is wonderfully juicy chicken that has been infused with both sweet and savoury flavours and lots of sauce. It’s very simple but tastes very complex.

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– Chef Dez is a food columnist and culinary instructor in the Fraser Valley. Visit him at www.chefdez.com. Send questions to dez@chefdez.com or to P.O. Box 2674, Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6R4

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