Canadian cookbook author and food writer Rose Murray is well-known on the national culinary scene. In her latest cookbook, A Taste of Canada, she takes readers on a journey across the country, putting her own slant on traditional Canadian recipes from coast to coast. Murray focuses on both regional specialties and the exotic ingredients introduced by new Canadians. Fellow foodie Elizabeth Baird’s introduction sets the tone for A Taste of Canada, describing how every wave of settlement in Canada influenced the food Canadians eat — from First Nations to current trends from around the world.

A Taste of Canada is a beautiful coffee table book and a practical cookbook. It works for serious foodies and weeknight cooks alike. The recipes range from everyday meatloaf and vegetables to the truly unique, such as a cross-Canada Thanksgiving incorporating roast pheasant with honey-fig sauce and stilton and pecan shortbread. Murray’s anecdotes about her Canadian travels reflect her love of food and this country, and her variations on traditional Canadian recipes like raspberry Nanaimo bars are imaginative and creative.

The best way to really appreciate a cookbook is to try some recipes. I invited some guests and marinated a roast for 24 hours to make Murray’s mustard-herb roast beef. Although I decided against roasting the meat for 30 minutes at 500 degrees as Murray recommends, browning it and then popping it in the oven worked just as well. The flavour was delicious, though the meat was a bit tough.

The raspberry pudding I made for dessert was fantastic, despite the unexpectedly lurid colour. As I peered into the oven to check the dish, my shocked expression caused my nervous guests to ask if everything was OK. It looks like a giant puffy beet, but I’ve already been asked for the recipe. In her description of the dish, Murray says she received rave reviews from her family when she served it, and so did I.

A Taste of Canada is filled with glorious pictures of food and menu ideas that take their inspiration from Canadian regions. However, unlike many equally beautiful celebrity cookbooks, this one is filled with recipes that are both accessible and original.