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Contents
Kitchen Tip
Bonnie's
Book Club
Bonnie's Cookbooks
News and Events
Restaurant
Recommendations
Featured Recipes
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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.
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October 2023
Anna and I had a wonderful road trip to Ottawa last month to do a private event about our cookbook Don't Worry, Just Cook and visit with my stepdaughter, Fara and her husband Mark. Check the restaurant section for our reviews and a great place to stay in Ottawa. On our way we stopped for lunch at Chez Piggy in Kingston which turned into a trip down memory lane. Maureen Lollar, who lives in Kingston now, joined us and many of you who took cooking classes at my school will remember Maureen who worked with me for many years. And Shelley Tanaka, the wonderful editor of many of my cookbooks, who now lives in Kingston as well, also came to lunch. Looking back can be so delicious when you love the people you work with!
I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and the Laid Back Turkey we always roast (see recipe section below). Follow me on Instagram @bonniestern for Thanksgiving recipes and all the excitement around Adeena Sussman's visit to Toronto. Check out a recipe from her new cookbook Shabbat in the recipe section below.
See you at the market,
Bonnie
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| Kitchen Tip |
Half A Recipe
|  When you want to halve a recipe but it calls for 3 eggs (or any odd number), what to do? If a recipe calls for 3 eggs and you only need 1 1/2 eggs, mix the second egg together and use half - usually about 2 tbsp. Refrigerate or freeze the leftover 2 tbsp and use up as an egg wash for your challah or other breads or pastries, or add to an omelet or scrambled eggs, quiche or frittata. In some recipes I just add the yolk or the white but that is a judgement call at the time. |
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| 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. |
OCTOBER 2023
| ADEENA SUSSMAN: SHABBAT |  RECIPES AND RITUALS FROM MY TABLE TO YOURS
Although Bonnie's Book Club usually features fiction and memoirs, every once in a while we celebrate a special cookbook. And this cookbook, by Bonnie's good friend and colleague, Adeena Sussman, is special in so many ways. And how much more special can it be to be able to share a Shabbat dinner with Adeena when she is in Toronto on tour for her new book.
As a child, Adeena looked forward to the magic of Shabbat - the traditional Jewish day of rest - all week. A treasured time when family and friends come together to relax, unwind, and revel in one another’s company during open-ended, tantalizing meals, Shabbat has been practiced all over the world and throughout history. In Sussman’s home, then and now, the Shabbat table is a centering force, a nourishing place where one and all are welcome. It’s an opportunity every week to feed the soul.
Woven throughout the recipes is a rich portrait of Shabbat in Israel, where Adeena now lives and where Shabbat is practically a national holiday. Taking us inside the kitchens and traditions of local cooks who have shared their most beloved recipes, Shabbat brings to life Sussman’s adopted home country with transporting, slice-of-life storytelling. Deeply personal and brimming with life, Shabbat, the cookbook, inspires us all to embrace the delights of Shabbat. Now more than ever, that Shabbat feeling is what we all need whether it is a Friday night or anytime when families and friends get together for a meal. | Date: Friday October 20, 2023 (Wait list only)
Please note that this book club is on a Friday night
Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm
Location: The Edible Story
320 Richmond Street East #105, Toronto
Fee: 195 + HST includes dinner (recipes from Shabbat), beverages, gratuity, author talk and a copy of Shabbat sent out as soon as possible
Advance registration only: Bonnie Stern 416 484 4810 |
NOVEMBER 2023
| KEN DRYDEN: THE CLASS |  Bonnie is pleased to welcome back bestselling author (and legendary goaltender) Ken Dryden to the Book Club as he launches The Class, a moving and audacious look at Canada’s coming of age through a very special lens.
On Tuesday, September 6, 1960, the day after Labour Day, class 9G at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute in a suburb of Toronto assembled for the first time. Its thirty-five students, having written special exams, came to be known as the “Selected Class.” They would stay together through high school, with few exceptions. They would spend more than two hundred days a year together. Few had known each other before. Few have been in other than accidental contact in all the decades since. Their ancestors were almost all from working-class backgrounds. Their parents had lived their formative years through depression and war. They themselves were born into a postwar world of new homes, new schools, new churches and new suburbs. Of new classes like this one. Of boundless possibilities. When almost anything seems within reach, what do we reach for?
Ken Dryden was one of these thirty-five. In his varied, improbable life, he had wondered often how he had gotten from there to here. How any of us do. He decided to try and find his classmates, to see how they are, what they are doing, how life has been for them. They talked many long hours, in a way they had never talked before. Most had married, some divorced, most have kids, many have grandkids. This is the story of a place, a time, and so much more. | Date: Wednesday November 29, 2023 (Wait list only)
Please note that this book club is on a Wednesday night
Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm
Location: Fet Zun
252 Dupont Street, Toronto
Fee: 195 + HST (includes dinner, beverages, gratuity, author talk and a copy of The Class sent out as soon as possible)
Advance registration only: Bonnie Stern 416 484 4810 |
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| Some of Bonnie's Cookbooks | | | 
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
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
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
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 | 
Cuisiner au gout du coeur
Published by Trecarre, 2006, 512 pages
$18.98 | 
Appetizers
A very special collection of over 150 mouth-watering recipes including soups, spreads, salads, hors d'oeuvre, pastas and much more. Complete with presentation, entertaining, menu planning tips and over 50 detailed illustrations.
Published by Random House of Canada, 1990, 176 pages, paperback
$22.95 | 
Desserts
Over 120 recipes for decadent cakes, pies and pastries, scrumptious cookies, creamy mousses and ice creams – A collection of recipes from a master that stand the test, and tastes, of time.
Also provided are elegant decorating tips, helpful information on equipment and ingredients, and black-and-white illustrations throughout demonstrating basic techniques that will make these recipes absolutely no-fail.
Published by Random House Canada, 1998, 214 pages, paperback
$21
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| News And Events | | ADEENA SUSSMAN AT PROSSERMAN JCC |  Date: Thursday October 19, 2023 (Full)
or Tuesday October 24, 2023
Place: Prosserman Jewish Community Centre
4588 Bathurst Street, Toronto
Discover the Magic of Shabbat with Cookbook Author Adeena Sussman. An evening of engaging conversation and cooking demonstration, moderated by Bonnie Stern.
For more information click: Adeena Sussman |
| TASTE CANADA 2023 |  Date: Monday October 30, 2023
Join your favourite cookbook authors at this celebration of cookbooks. Anna and I will be there with our cookbook Don’t Worry Just Cook that was shortlisted for an award. Good luck to all the nominees!
This event is the only national, bilingual cookbook awards, and the biggest night in Canadian cookbooks! Gold and Silver winners in English-language books and French-language books will be announced during an intimate cocktail reception featuring local Canadian spirits and delicious Chef-prepared hors d’oeuvres.
For more information click: Taste Canada 2023 |
| CHRISTMAS IN NOVEMBER |  Dates: November 3 to 12, 2023
(Three 3-day sessions)
Anna and Bonnie are thrilled to be participating in Christmas in November at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper, Alberta. They will be there for all three sessions along with Anna and Michael Olsen, Emily Richards and a host of other chefs, teachers, restaurant owners and more. It's a big party and people come from all over the country for a delicious reunion with friends and/or family or to meet people with similar interests. Come join us for one of the three, 3-day sessions between November 3 and 12, 2023.
For more information click: Christmas in November
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| PORRIDGE FOR PARKINSON'S |  Date: Sunday November 12, 2023
This event is back with its founders Chefs Jamie Kennedy and Joanne Yolles plus an incredible group of chefs including Donna Dooher (Mildred’s Temple Kitchen) and Sandra Katsiou (Baker and Scone).
Jeanne Beker is emcee with Harry Forestell as guest speaker.
For more information click:
Porridge for Parkinson's |
| EATING ISRAEL: THE LAND OF DIVERSITY AND CULTURE |  DATES: Sunday February 25, 2024
to Tuesday March 5, 2024
(Registration will begin after we have an itinerary and price.)
Welcome to our 12th culinary tour of Israel where you will learn about Israeli culture through its food and the people who cook it. We will be visiting markets, dining at top restaurants, sampling street food, taking cooking classes, visiting wineries, and meeting the chefs, the cookbook authors and the food personalities behind the New Israeli Cuisine. Your taste buds will thank you!
If these dates work for you, and you aren't already on our 'Israeli Tour' mailing list, be sure to let us know you are interested by emailing Bonnie at
bonnie@bonniestern.com
Subject line: Israel Tour
Please include full name, email address and phone number.
A sample itinerary and registration information coming soon.
For a small taste of our time in Israel check our these videos filmed and produced by Mark Rupert:
A gorgeous February day in Israel
My favourite coffee shop in Tel Aviv
Everyday is a busy day at Port Said |
| FOGO ISLAND AND ST. JOHN’S FOOD TOUR & BOOK CLUB |  DATES: Sunday May 5 to Saturday May 11, 2024
(Registration will begin after we have an itinerary and price.)
If you have always wanted to go to Newfoundland the combination of a few days in St. John’s, and 3 days on Fogo Island, staying at Fogo Island Inn (a social enterprise that was ranked #3 hotel in the world in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards), will be a dream come true. We will be hosting two or three book club events, tours, classes and wonderful meals. This will be our 3rd tour to Newfoundland and Fogo Island
If these dates work for you, and you aren't already on our 'Newfoundland
Tour' mailing list, be sure to let us know you are interested by
emailing Bonnie at
bonnie@bonniestern.com
Subject line: Newfoundland
Tour
Please include full name, email address and phone number.
As soon as we have an itinerary we will send out the registration information. |
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| Restaurant Recommendations and More | KINGSTON, ONTARIO Chez Piggy
68 Princess Street
Kingston
613 549 7673
| Anna and I loved having lunch at Chez Piggy on the patio with friends we haven't seen in a while. The club sandwiches were delicious and they even had good gluten free bread!
Chez Piggy was opened by Rose Robertson and Zal Yanovsky (of the 60's The Lovin' Spoonful fame) in 1979. When Zal died in 2002, his daughter Zoe Yanovsky took over the restaurant and the bakery. It was and still is a very special restaurant in Kingston.
Moderate |
Pan Chancho Bakery
and Cafe
44 Princess Street
Kingston
613 544 7790 | The chocolate cookies were big and so delicious as were the lemon currant buns that I still remembered from my last visit at least 15 years ago! They also carry great kitchen gadgets, tea towels and ingredients.
Moderate |
OTTAWA, ONTARIO Metcalfe Hotel
123 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa
866 361 5706 | The Metcalfe Hotel is lovely new boutique hotel located in downtown Ottawa. We loved our stay there. Much less expensive, but still so well located, than other places I have stayed in the area. They also have a delicious French restaurant, Cocotte Bistro.
Moderate |
Browns Socialhouse Centretown
160 Elgin Street
Ottawa
613 695 3030 | We had a great lunch in downtown Ottawa nearby just about everything you would want to see. We loved our poke bowl and the teriyaki chicken bowl.
Moderate |
GATINEAU, QUEBEC Royal Ottawa Golf Club
1405 Chemin d'Aylmer
Gatineau
Quebec
819 777 3866 | If you are lucky enough to be a member or a guest of a member, it doesn't get better than to sit on the patio overlooking the 18th hole and have a wonderful meal.
Thanks to Fara and Mark for a delicious breakfast on our last trip and a super delicious dinner this trip.
No Prices! |
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Featured Recipes
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| ADEENA SUSSMAN'S CHERRY TOMATO, FETA & KALAMATA SALAD | dressing:1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice1/4 cup olive oil1/4 tsp kosher salt (+ more for seasoning)1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (+ more)1/4 tsp ground coriander, optional
salad:1 to 2 medium heirloom, beefsteak or vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced into rounds (3/4 lb)3/4 lb multi-coloured cherry tomatoes, halved1/2 small red onion, sliced into half-moons4 oz (1 cup) feta cheese, crumbled1/2 cup lightly packed whole, fresh cilantro leaves1/4 cup whole, pitted kalamata (or other) olives, halved1 hot green chili pepper, seeded and cut into thin rounds (optional) |  Anna and I had such a fun afternoon cooking a recipe with @everything_ delish Jamie Milne from Adeena Sussman's wonderful new cookbook Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from my Table to Yours.
Method:
1. For dressing, in a jar with a lid, combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and coriander (if using). Cover and shake until emulsified, 5 seconds. Dressing can be refrigerated, tightly sealed, in an airtight container for 1 week.
2. To assemble: In a salad bowl or on a platter, arrange the heirloom and cherry tomatoes, red onion, feta, cilantro, olives and chili (if using). Dress to your liking (Adeena says she generally uses it all), then season with salt and pepper and add more dressing as needed.
Makes 6 servings |
| LAID BACK TURKEY WITH CORNBREAD STUFFING | 15lb turkey (preferably fresh, naturally raised or organic), butterflied1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil2 tsp smoked paprika1 tbsp kosher salt
stuffing:2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil8 oz thickly sliced, double-smoked bacon, diced or additional 2 tbsp olive oil2 onions, chopped4 cloves garlic, finely chopped2 ribs celery, chopped1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped — optional16 cups diced cornbread (homemade or purchased)3 tbsp each chopped fresh sage and parsley1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves1 cup chicken or turkey stockkosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste |  This has been my favourite way to roast a turkey and the way we like it best. It came from Julia Child via my friend Mitchell Davis and I have never looked back. A butterflied (sometimes called spatchcocked) turkey will cook in less than half the time, not be overcooked and is easier to carve. Ask the butcher to butterfly it and to remove the breast and thigh bones for easier carving, and leave in the drumstick and wing bones for structure. The easiest way to turn the partially cooked turkey over is to wear heavy duty dishwashing gloves, which are perfect for handling hot food (but not hot pans).
Notes:
Use stuffing of your choice or the cornbread below.
Serve with your favourite gravy and cranberry sauce.
It's hard to do this recipe with a very large turkey.
Ask your butcher for the bones to make soups and/or gravy.
Method:
1. Place turkey on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, flat out, skin side down. Combine olive oil with paprika and salt. Brush 1/3 over turkey. Roast in a preheated 400F oven for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 375F.
2. Prepare stuffing. In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven heat oil. Add bacon and cook until most of the fat renders out (if there is too much fat, remove some). Add onions, garlic, celery and jalapeno and cook 10 minutes or until tender. Add corn bread and combine well. Stir in salt, pepper, herbs and stock.
3. Spread cornbread in a roasting pan lined with parchment paper. When turkey has cooked for the 20 minutes at 400F, invert on top of stuffing. Brush skin side of turkey with remaining olive oil mixture. Roast in the preheated 375F oven for 50 to 60 minutes until an instant read meat thermometer registers 175F.
4. Slice turkey and serve with cornbread stuffing and your favourite gravy and cranberry sauce.
Makes 10 to 12 servings |
| MITCHELL DAVIS' SOUTHERN STYLE CORNBREAD | | 1/2 cup butter or extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable oil)4 cups cornmeal3 tbsp sugar2 tsp kosher salt2 tsp baking powder1 tsp baking soda4 eggs1 1/3 cups milk3 cups buttermilk |  This is the perfect cornbread as a base for a stuffing - not too sweet, not too rich, easy to make and naturally gluten-free. It makes enough for stuffing with some extra for snacks. Thanks Mitchell Davis (@kitchensense) for introducing it to me - it's been a favourite for years. Add herbs, spices, chilies and grated cheese to suit your taste.
Method:
1. Place butter in a 9"x 13" baking dish and place in a preheated 400F oven while making batter.
2. In a large bowl combine cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk for a minute to mix well.
3. In another bowl beat eggs with milk and buttermilk.
4. Combine dry ingredients with egg mixture. Carefully remove pan from the oven and swirl and brush melted hot butter around the pan. Carefully pour or spoon butter into the batter and stir to combine. Pour batter into the hot pan. Reduce oven temp to 350F and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until middle springs back when lightly pressed and sides of bread come away from pan. (Or when your meat thermometer registers 185F - but don't let it touch the bottom of the pan.)
5. Cool on wire rack.
Makes one 9"x13" bread |
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© Copyright 2023, Bonnie Stern Cooking Schools Ltd.
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