Bonnie Stern Food News
Bonnie Stern's Food NewsFollow Bonnie Stern on TwitterFriend Bonnie on Facebook
Contents

Kitchen Tip

Bonnie's
Book Club

Bonnie's Cookbooks

News and Events

Restaurant
Recommendations

Featured Recipes

Contact

 
Phone:
416 484 4810

Email:
bonnie@bonniestern.com

Follow Bonnie

Instagram

Website:
www.bonniestern.com

 

About Bonnie

Bonnie Stern is the founder of the Bonnie Stern School of Cooking in Toronto which she opened and operated from 1973 to 2011. She has studied and taught cooking around the world, authored 12 bestselling cookbooks, hosted three national cooking shows, and appears regularly on various television and radio shows across Canada.

For 17 years Bonnie wrote a weekly column for the National Post and her articles have appeared in numerous magazines. She has conducted popular workshops for the James Beard Foundation in New York City and leads culinary cultural trips to various delicious destinations. Bonnie is also the creator of a ground-breaking book club in which authors are invited to discuss their work during thematic dinners.

Bonnie Stern is the recipient of many awards including ones from the Toronto Culinary Guild, the Ontario Hostelry Institute, Cuisine Canada and most notably she is the recipient of the 2007 Premier’s Award. Bonnie Stern’s Essentials of Home Cooking won the coveted International Association of Culinary Professionals’ award. Bonnie was inducted into the Taste Canada Hall of Fame in 2021.

 

March 2024

Thanks to everyone who registered for our Fogo Island and St. John's Food Tour & Book Club. I am so looking forward to introducing everyone to the things I love best about Newfoundland and learning even more things to love about this wonderful province. Our tour is now fully booked but if you would like to receive information about future tours please see the News and Event section below.

We are so excited to welcome Nita Prose - in person this time! - back to our book club featuring her new book The Mystery Guest. We loved hosting her online during the pandemic and the delicious dinners prepared and delivered in beautiful gift boxes from The Edible Story. For information see the book club section below.

I am deeply honoured to be the recipient of the 2024 Canadian Culinary Trailblazer Award from the Junior League of Toronto. I am looking forward to celebrating and you can join me at the Chef's Showcase at George Brown Culinary Institute, Thursday April 25. See details below in News and Events.

Delicious wishes,
Bonnie

Kitchen Tip
LEMON JUICERS
LEMON JUICERSI promised to tell you about my favourite lemon juicers and now that the one everyone says is the best arrived, I feel confident doing it. No matter which one I use, I always soften lemons or limes first as described in our January newsletter. And if you need the peel (sometimes called zest) or want to grate and freeze it for future use, remove it before juicing. There are many more juicers (eg the many variations of the original, non-electric version of the electric one seen here and I also have a large pomegranate press) but these are the ones I use most often especially for lemons:

1. Wooden Lemon Reamer: my favourite for a small amount of lemon or lime juice. It is inexpensive, cleans easily, works well but does not have a strainer to remove the seeds and too small for oranges and grapefruit.

2. Yellow (Metal) Lemon Squeezer: Although I love the bright cheery look, I have broken two of them and I am not THAT strong! (Therefore I am NOT recommending this one but if you have one already be gentle).

3. Recommended by everyone I trust, this one is new to me and is large enough for oranges and grapefruit as well as lemons and limes. I love it but my assistant, who loves the reamer best, AFTER using this new one, uses the reamer again for leftover juice. (I just noticed a fancy stainless version - smaller and more expensive but looks good.)

4. I am not giving up my very old electric citrus juicer that still works well. But I only use it when I need a larger quantity of juice.

Let me know your favourite.


Bonnie's Book Club
Bonnie's Book Club is a labour of love. Nothing pleases Bonnie more than to have the opportunity to bring readers and writers together in a truly unique way that offers the rare opportunity to meet some of the country's leading authors, discuss their work and enjoy a delicious meal inspired by the book.

Drawing on her degree in English and her passion for food and cooking, Bonnie Stern invites you to a literary feast you won't soon forget - Oprah's book club never tasted this good!

Small print: All registrations must be paid in full when registering. Please check your schedule carefully before registering. Cancellations can be accepted only up to 14 days before event date, a $50 charge (plus HST) applies to cover the administration fee and cost of the book. At any time you may send someone in your place for no additional charge. It is the attendee’s responsibility to mark their calendar with the date, time and location of the event.


MARCH 2024

NITA PROSE: THE MYSTERY GUEST
NITA PROSE: THE MYSTERY GUESTIn March, Bonnie is thrilled to welcome back a truly great friend of the Book Club. Some of us know Nita Pronovost as one of the country’s best editors. But readers around the world know her as Nita Prose blockbuster author of The Maid, which is soon to be a major motion picture featuring Academy Award-nominee Florence Pugh.

With her new book The Mystery Guest, Nita’s fabulous protagonist Molly the Maid returns and finds herself in the middle of another incredible adventure.

Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J.D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead - very dead - on the hotel’s tea room floor.

When Detective Stark, Molly's old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J.D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems?

As the case threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows that she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer's identity. But that key is buried deep in her past - because long ago, she knew J.D. Grimthorpe. Molly must comb her memory for clues, and revisit her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where her dearly departed Gran once worked. With Molly and her colleagues under investigation, she knows she must solve the mystery post-haste. And if there's one thing she knows for sure, it's that dirty secrets don't stay buried forever...

We can’t wait to welcome you back for a great evening of food and conversation.

Date: Monday March 25, 2024
Time: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Location: The Edible Story
320 Richmond Street East #105, Toronto
Fee: 195 + HST (includes dinner, beverages, gratuity, author talk and a copy of The Mystery Guest sent out as soon as possible)
Advance registration only: Bonnie Stern 416 484 4810



Book Club Location
 
The Edable Story5
The Edible Story 7
The Edible Story1
The Edible Story2
The edible story
The Edible Storyx

The Edible Story
This cooking school, catering company and event space, owned by chefs Alanna Fleischer and Brian Cheng is the perfect place for our themed book clubs.

320 Richmond Street East #105
Toronto

(Entrance on Sherbourne)
647 278 1819

theediblestory.com

Some of Bonnie's Cookbooks
 
Don't Worry, Just Cook
Bonnie's new cookbook, written with her daughter Anna Rupert, who, although has a healthcare related career of her own, has in fact, been in the kitchen cooking beside Bonnie her whole life. Bonnie and Anna are here to help cooks of all experience foster comfort and connection through food.
                                     
Published by Appetite by Random House of Canada, 2022, 293 pages, hardcover.
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD

$35


Kindle edition
$16.99
Friday Night Dinners (Paperback)

Friday Night Dinners

Bonnie's last cookbook with her favourite menus, recipes, photos and stories. Over 170 delicious recipes for every occasion - holidays, barbecues, fast suppers and fabulous feasts - and Bonnie makes sure you can make fantastic meals and still enjoy the food and fun with everyone else. You'll want to use this book every day of the week.

Published by Random House of Canada, 2010, 320 pages, paperback

$29.95

Bonnie Stern's Essentials of Home Cooking
Bonnie Stern's
Essentials of Home Cooking

Winner of the 2004 International Association of Culinary Professionals Award. A beautiful cookbook filled with Bonnie’s personal favourites - dishes that reflect the way we are cooking today.

Published by Random House of Canada, 2003, 208 pages, paperback

$34.95
HeartSmart
HeartSmart
This wonderful compendium is a must for every kitchen featuring over 300 favourite recipes from the bestselling Simply HeartSmart Cooking, More HeartSmart Cooking and HeartSmart Cooking for Family and Friends, as well as 75 brand-new recipes to add to your HeartSmart repertoire. Many of the classic recipes have been fully updated to incorporate current food trends and new nutritional information.

Published by Random House of Canada, 2006, 480 pages, paperback.

$34.95
News And Events
HEALTHY NOSH WITH MICAH SIVA
HEALTHY NOSH WITH MICAH SIVADate: Thursday March 28, 2024
Time: 7 pm to 10 pm
Location: Prosserman JCC
4588 Bathurst Street, Toronto
Price: From $38.61

Get ready to NOSH! Micah is a trained chef and registered dietitian specializing in modern Jewish cuisine. Her new cookbook, Nosh: Plant Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine, draws inspiration from history through a 21st-century lens.

The Cookbook is available when you purchase your ticket and at the event.

A cooking demonstration by Micah and light refreshments from Nosh: Plant Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine, showing that Jewish food is more than chicken soup and brisket! The event will be moderated by Lauren Levy.

For tickets: Click Healthy Nosh with Micah Siva
TRAILBLAZER AWARD
TRAILBLAZER AWARDDate: Thursday April 25, 2024

I am deeply honoured to be chosen by The Junior League of Toronto as the Canadian Culinary Trailblazer Award this year.

For more information and tickets for the Chef's Showcase click:
JLT Chef's Showcase 2024
PASSOVER DESSERTS
WITH BONNIE STERN, ANNA RUPERT AND THE NOSHER
PASSOVER DESSERTS<BR/ >WITH BONNIE STERN, ANNA RUPERT AND THE NOSHERDate: Wednesday April 17, 2024
Time: 7:30 pm EST
 
Anna and I are so excited to be doing a Passover dessert cooking class online with The Nosher in mid-April. Stay tuned for when and how to register.

You can keep up to date through Instagram @bonniestern or The Nosher @jewishfood for registration information when available.
FOGO ISLAND AND ST. JOHN’S FOOD TOUR & BOOK CLUB
FOGO ISLAND AND ST. JOHN’S FOOD TOUR & BOOK CLUBIf you have always wanted to go to Newfoundland this combination of delicious food, meeting some of Canada's favourite authors, and visiting the world famous Fogo Island Inn, can't be beat. Two nights in St. John's, one night in Gander and three nights at Fogo Island Inn is a dream come true. We will be hosting book clubs, meals at top restaurants, classes and so much more.

Our May 2024 tour is now fully booked and we do not have dates yet for the next trip to Newfoundland but if you are not already on our travel email list and would like more information once we have it, please email:
bonnie@bonniestern.com
Subject line: Newfoundland Tour.

Please include full name, email address and phone number.

We request your name and phone number as well as email address so that if we email information and it is returned as undelivered (that does happen) we can reach you so that you are not disappointed (that has also happened)!

 

Restaurant Recommendations and More
TORONTO, ONTARIO
The Ace
231A Roncesvalles Avenue
Toronto
416 792 7729
Anna went to The Ace recently for brunch and loved it. It's been a staple in that neighbourhood for a long time and it was clear why. The food was delicious and the atmosphere cozy.
Moderate
Rimini Rimini
453 Eglinton Avenue W
Toronto
647 368 6498
I have recommended Rimini Rimini before but a few weeks ago we went with our Italian friends who have been often and after telling the chef about any allergies or intolerances told the chef to surprise us. It was amazing! We especially loved the rigatoni with mushrooms and mussels and the roasted whole fish with thinly sliced potatoes, onions zucchini and more.
Moderate to Expensive
Hay Sushi
530 Eglinton Avenue W
Toronto
416 792 0645
Ray has been having lunch at Hay Sushi lately and loves it. Finally we went for dinner and now we all love it too. Although it was a bit fusion-ish, I liked the crunchy tuna 'nori taco'. The tuna itself was quite spicy (and plentiful) but when it was eaten altogether it was really good. The poke bowl was filling and delicious. The things we like the best were the spicy tuna rolls and the Oshi Sushi: Torched & Pressed Sushi.
Moderate to Expensive
Featured Recipes
THAI CARROT AND COCONUT SOUP
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger root
  • 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste (or more to taste)
  • 2 lbs carrots, cleaned and roughly chopped or sliced (approx 5 to 6 cups)
  • 1/4 cup red lentils, rinsed
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 cups water or vegetable stock + more as necessary
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
  • pinch freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk


  • toppings (any or all of):
  • toasted coconut chips, chopped fresh cilantro and/or drizzle of coconut cream
  • THAI CARROT AND COCONUT SOUPThis hearty soup can be served in large bowls for a vegan or vegetarian main course or smaller soup bowls as a first course or in shooter glasses or your grandmother's tea cups as a warm welcome for guests on a cold winter night. Freeze any extra soup (to use as appetizers another time) and be sure to freeze any leftover coconut milk as it only keeps a few days in the refrigerator after opening.

    Some brands of red curry paste are hotter than others so taste a tiny bit before adding it to the soup.

    Some coconut milk is watery and some is thick and creamy. Either can be used in a recipe but only the thick and creamy part can be used as a drizzle. If the coconut milk you are using is thin, refrigerate it, the creamy part should rise to the surface and  you can use that to drizzle or buy coconut cream.


    Method:
    1. Heat oil in a large saucepan and add onions. Cook gently about 5 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Add garlic and ginger and cook gently another minute. Add red curry paste and cook gently one minute longer.

    2. Add carrots and lentils and combine well, stirring and cooking one to two minutes. If pan is dry or vegetables are sticking, add 1 cup of water or stock and stir well.

    3. Add honey, lemon and 4 cups of water or vegetable stock (or 3 cups if you have already added one cup) and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, 25 to 30 minutes or longer until carrots are very tender and can be smashed against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon.

    4. Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender and return to pot. (Or puree half and serve chunky style.)

    5. Meanwhile, open your tin of coconut milk and if there is a thick creamy part at the top spoon some off and reserve for a drizzle when serving the soup and then stir contents of can together well. Reserve that too.

    6. If soup is too thick (probably), add the 3/4 cup coconut milk. If it is still too thick (maybe) thin with additional water or vegetable stock or add the remaining coconut milk (Coconut milk is richer than water or stock, but really delicious!). Heat thoroughly and re-season if necessary.

    7. Serve soup topped with any or all of the suggested toppings.

    Makes 6 to 8 servings as a first course
    PASTA WITH CHICKEN PATTIES
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 2/3 cup breadcrumbs (eg panko)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal*)
  • 1 tsp chili crisp (or other hot sauce), optional
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp chili crisp or pinch hot red chile flakes, optional
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste (I use Mutti)
  • 1 28oz/796mL can plum tomatoes, broken up
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal*)
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 2 big handfuls baby spinach, kale or arugula
  • 1 tbsp butter, optional
  • PASTA WITH CHICKEN PATTIESSometimes an old-fashioned dish is the comfort you need. Spaghetti and meatballs seems to always fit the comforting bill even if you change up the meat, use different pasta and even change the sauce!

    You can make the patties (or meatballs) and sauce ahead but cook the pasta and assemble just before serving.

    *Salt has become very confusing lately. Cooks love to cook with Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because of the unique way it is shaped. Each grain is hollow so per tsp it has about half the amount of saltiness as other brands of kosher salt, table salt and sea salt, making it hard to over-salt your food. Therefore generally speaking, if a recipe calls for salt and you are not using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use half the amount - you can always adjust the seasoning at the end of cooking. (Recipes that list the weight of the ingredients work well with this salt 'problem' as Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs less that other salts.)


    Method:

    1. In a medium bowl combine chicken with breadcrumbs, egg, salt, chili and parsley. Shape mixture into 16 patties (or meatballs). Heat half the oil in a large, deep skillet and brown chicken, in two batches, removing to a plate when browned. It usually takes 2 to 3 minutes per side and will not be fully cooked. (I like to use a pan or pot that is big enough for the sauce and pasta in the end - like a big deep skillet or shallow Dutch oven.

    2. Return pan to heat and add remaining oil. Add onions and garlic and cook gently until tender but not brown. Add chili crisp or chile flakes if using and tomato paste and cook gently, stirring, about one minute. Add tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil. Cook gently, uncovered, approximately 10 minutes until slightly thicker. Add chicken patties and cook gently, covered, 15 to 20 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked. (This can be done ahead.)

    3. About 20 to 30 minutes before serving bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the 1 tbsp kosher salt (in this case it doesn't really matter what salt you are using). Add spaghetti and cook until just tender. Lift spaghetti out of cooking liquid with tongs or a spider strainer/skimmer and add to sauce and chicken patties. (Alternatively you can reserve 1 cup cooking liquid and then drain pasta.) Cook spaghetti in sauce gently, a few minutes, stirring, adding some of the cooking liquid about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time to keep the sauce saucy. (The pasta cooking liquid will help make the sauce kind of 'creamy'.) Add spinach and butter (if using), and toss together (I use tongs) until spinach wilts - about one minute. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

    Makes 4 to 6 main course servings

    LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup ricotta or unflavoured yogurt
  • 1/4 cup sugar - divided
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or gf flour (eg Cup4Cup)
  • finely grated peel of one lemon
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted and divided


  • toppings:
  • marmalade (warmed and thinned with a little orange juice)
  • berries
  • maple syrup
  • LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKESMy mom often served 'breakfast for dinner' for my sister and I when we were growing up as we were very selective eaters and loved eggs, French toast and pancakes. Luckily so did my dad. I started making these light, fluffy, pancakes after I first had them years ago at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. These are perfect for an Easter brunch.

    Method:
    1. In a medium sized mixing bowl beat egg yolks with ricotta or yogurt, half the sugar, salt, flour, lemon peel and half the butter.

    2. When beating egg whites be sure the bowl and mixer or whisk are clean and dry. In another medium sized bowl using a hand mixer or a large whisk, beat egg whites until opaque and light, add remaining 2 tbsp sugar slowly and continue beating until whites hold their shape but are not too firm.  Mix a big spoonful of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it, and then gently fold the two mixtures together.

    3. Place remaining butter in a large, non-stick skillet and heat on medium. Drop about 2 tbsp batter (I use an ice cream scoop) per pancake onto the pan. If necessary flatten the pancakes a little with the back of a spoon and cook until top side looses it sheen. Flip and cook second side 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on their thickness. Turn out onto sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep in a preheated 250F oven until all batter is used, adding pancakes to the tray as they are done. Serve with marmalade 'sauce', berries and/or maple syrup.

    Makes approximately 24 pancakes (made with 2 tbsp batter or 12 large ones using about 1/4 cup batter)
    © Copyright 2024, Bonnie Stern Cooking Schools Ltd.
    To unsubscribe from this newsletter please visit foodnews.bonniestern.com/unsubscribe

    Please Note: Bonnie Stern does not sell, trade or share her email list.
    © Bonnie Stern. All Rights Reserved