Bonnie Stern Food News
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Kitchen Tip

News and Events

Bonnie's Cookbooks

Restaurant Recommendations and More

Featured Recipes
Contact
Phone: 416 484 4810

Email:
bonnie@bonniestern.com

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Website:
www.bonniestern.com

Bonnie Stern

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. She is the 2024 recipient of the Junior League Toronto culinary Trailblazer Award.

Round Challah
 
Round Challah
 

October 2024

With so many holidays - Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Thanksgiving - all happening this month, I thought I would fill this whole introduction with entertaining hacks, tips and tricks! Here goes. For more recipes and more suggestions be sure to follow me on Instagram.

Chicken Soup: If you use a pasta pot that has a strainer, when your soup is finished you can just remove the whole insert with all the chicken and vegetables in it. (I remove the strainer gently and place it on a sheet pan or in a large bowl to avoid a mess and also catch all the remaining soup.)

Brisket: Buy a brisket that has part first cut (lean) and part second cut (juicy). That way guests can choose which part they like best. Cook brisket on low heat (325F) until it is tender as opposed to a preset time on a recipe - all ovens and briskets are a bit different. Be sure to cover the brisket pot well - I usually place crunched up parchment paper directly on the surface of the brisket, then tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil and then a lid.

The briskets I buy are usually too large to brown on top of the stove before braising, so I brown it after it is cooked the way my mom did. When the brisket is fork tender, remove all the cover(s), increase oven temp to 400F and cook until the top has browned - about 20 to 30 minutes. (Reverse browning isn't that new.)

It is easier to carve the brisket when it is cold, so try to make it at least a day ahead. If there is too much liquid (there should always be a few cups), remove brisket and reduce the liquid on the stove. Refrigerate the juices and discard the fat on top. Carve the brisket across the grain for tender slices.

Matzah Balls: My mom always made the best matzah balls. And now my sister does. They use the mix! Honestly, I always wanted to make them from 'scratch' and sometimes they were great but sometimes not.

Round Challah: For an easy way to make round challah see my three versions on my Instagram @bonniestern or simply make balls of challah dough and arrange in a round cake pan (sprayed or lined with parchment) with space in between to rise. Just before baking brush with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds or chopped nuts. Serve whole as pull apart challah buns. You can even remove the centre one and put in a small dish of honey for dipping, to wish everyone a sweet new year.

Thanksgiving: I always make a 'laid-back" turkey, with the back bone and breast bones removed and the turkey flattened out. The turkey cooks much quicker (skin side up), and roast it over the stuffing so the juices flavour the stuffing and keep it moist. Make a stock from the bones and use it in the gravy. Be sure to make your own cranberry sauce as it is so easy, and adds some fun to a hectic (for many) day of cooking. I always love hearing the cranberries pop! (I get excited for small things.) Follow package directions but you can sub juice (eg. orange or pomegranate) for the water and part honey or maple syrup instead of all sugar.

And remember that roasted vegetables are just as delicious at room temperature, so don't make yourself crazy to have everything super hot.

Rather than serving soup as a separate course, serve soup shooters - pureed soups don't require spoons - as appetizers for less fuss.

And rather than plate main courses for my guests, my kids taught me to set up a mini buffet area and allow guests to serve themselves. This way they can take the amounts they want (my kids said my portions were too large) and go back for seconds. This also gives guests the opportunity to get up from the table and walk around a bit.

Wishing all of you who celebrate Rosh Hashanah a healthy, safe and peaceful New Year.

Bonnie

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
News And Events
DAN PASHMAN AND ANTHONY ROSE
AT THE PROSSERMAN JCC
DAN PASHMAN AND ANTHONY ROSE<br/ >AT THE PROSSERMAN JCCSunday October 20, 2024

I am excited to see Dan Pashman at the Prosserman JCC and hear about his podcasts, pasta cookbook and how he actually invented a new pasta shape! And my good friend Anthony Rose will be interviewing Dan - so it is sure to be an exciting evening!

The Cascatelli pasta shape he designed, that is not available in Canada yet, will be sold at the event (or better yet, reserve when you buy your tickets)

Read all about the event and sign up here

BOOK AND DINNER CLUB TOUR
TO NEWFOUNDLAND AND FOGO ISLAND
FOGO ISLAND AND ST. JOHN’S FOOD TOUR & BOOK CLUBI love leading tours to Newfoundland because so many say they have been across Canada but have never been to Newfoundland. Fogo Island Inn is a huge draw with its incredible architecture, commitment to local ingredients, and its status as a social enterprise but the history of St. John's and its award winning authors and restaurants is also amazing.

If you are not already on our e-mailing list for 'Dinner and Book Club Tours' please email your full name, phone number and email address to bonnie@bonniestern.com. We will post dates when they are confirmed and send the itinerary and price when available.
RECOMMENDED COOKBOOKS
RECOMMENDED COOKBOOKSThe cookbook season has just begun but here are a few I would recommend along with a few from the spring:

Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley (Appetite).
I have made three recipes from this book already and they are all exciting and delicious!

Zahav Home by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (Harper Collins).
Lots of how-to photos, recipes and stories from the chefs who opened Zahav sixteen years ago and since then created many more popular restaurants.

Zoe Bakes Cookies
by Zoe Francois (Ten Speed Press).
If you love cookies, you know this is a must. I am actually going to make the dog cookies first. (I can't believe I said that.)

Shabbat by Adeena Sussman (Avery).
A must for all Jewish cooks. It was even on the counter with Adeena's first cookbook, Sababa, in the Netflix series 'Nobody Wants This'. Every recipe is a hit!

The Jewish Holiday Table from Naama Shefi & The Jewish Food Society (Artisan).
Jewish family recipes from all over the world - as great to read as it is to cook from.

 

Restaurant Recommendations and More
TORONTO, ONTARIO
White Lily Diner
678 Queen Street East
Toronto
416 901 7800
(no reservations)
I have been wanting to go to White Lily Diner for a long time and it was worth the wait. Luckily I was with another food writer (Laura Brehaut, who writes an amazing column every Saturday in the National Post) who likes to try lots of different things too. Everything was delicious. It is also the pick-up place for their farm boxes (White Lily Farms) and sometimes there are extras you can buy at the restaurant for $25. I bought one, and it was well worth it! They have an all day menu.
Moderate
Linny's
176 Ossington Avenue
Toronto
647 390 1836
We were lucky to go to the opening of Linny's. This is the new restaurant from the team behind Sunny's Chinese and Mimi Chinese. It combines traditional steakhouse with old-fashioned deli foods that David Schwartz loved growing up. The drinks and snacks they served were so delicious we can't wait to go back. The house-made challah was beautiful and light, so delicious with homemade cheese and jam; the pastrami was unbelievably tender and flavourful; the fries were perfect and so much more. We'll tell you more once we have been for dinner.
Probably Expensive
Featured Recipes
GLUTEN-FREE NUT AND SEED BREAD
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (preferably roasted)
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 2 tbsp flax seeds
  • 1/2 cup currants
  • 2 tbsp nigella, sesame, poppy etc, optional
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using any other kind of salt use 1/2 tsp.
  • 2 cups cottage cheese (see note above)
  • 3 eggs
  • GLUTEN-FREE NUT AND SEED BREADI don't usually find new recipes on TikTok but every once in a while a friend or colleague will mention something that intrigues me and cottage cheese seed bread was one of those things. My friend, Linda Rose, (Chef Anthony Rose's mom who is an amazing cook and baker) brought me some of this amazing gluten-free seed bread she adapted from a recipe online and then I did too. I am always on the look out for gf breads because Anna is gf and breads are usually the most troublesome to make. It is great toasted with butter or as Linda says for open-faced sandwiches.

    Cottage Cheese: I used Nordica 4% cottage cheese. I pureed it the first time I made the bread but not second time and I liked it better not pureed.


    Method:
    1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8"x4" loaf pan with parchment paper and/or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

    2. Place oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, currants, baking powder and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl and stir together well.

    3.Combine cottage cheese (puree or not) in a mixing bowl. Whisk in eggs one at a time until well blended.

    4. With a wooden spoon stir cottage cheese mixture into oats (or vise versa whichever bowl is larger) and blend together well. Spoon into prepared pan and press batter in evenly.

    5. Bake one hour or until browned on top and bread comes away from the sides of the pan. Let rest 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Refrigerate or freeze (slice before freezing).

    Makes one loaf
    BUTTERNUT BABA GANOUSH
  • 2 lbs butternut squash
  • kosher salt
  • extra virgin olive oil


  • tahini sauce:
  • 1/2 cup raw tahini
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup ice water (or more if necessary)
  • 1 small clove garlic, grated
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste


  • topping:
  • chopped fresh cilantro
  • toasted pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tbsp tahini sauce from above
  • BUTTERNUT BABA GANOUSHThis recipe is based on a great idea from the new cookbook Zahav Home: Cooking for Friends and Family by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (Harvest). Baba Ganoush is usually made with eggplant but this variation works so well. Serve this with pita or challah as an appetizer or a vegetarian/vegan main or side dish.

    Method:
    1. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and then cut slits in the cut surface, brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or longer until squash is tender. Cool.

    2. Meanwhile prepare the tahini sauce. Place the raw tahini in a bowl. Mix in lemon juice and ice water. If mixture is too thick add a bit more water. Add garlic and salt to taste. Remove 2 tbsp tahini sauce and reserve for drizzling.

    3. Mash cooled squash (you should have about 2 cups) and stir in remaining tahini sauce.

    4. To serve spread on a serving plate and drizzle the 2 reserved tablespoons tahini sauce over the squash. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cilantro.

    Makes about 2 1/2 cups
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