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Contents
Kitchen Tip
Bonnie's Book Club
News and Events
Bonnie's Cookbooks
Restaurant Recommendations and More
Featured Recipes
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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.
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March 2025
We may have to look for the good news. If you find some please send it to me. In the meantime it is almost spring.
We are looking forward to our book club with Nita Prose in April - if you are already a fan of Molly, you'll love this new mystery and if you haven't read any of the Maid books yet, start now. Molly has become beloved around the world.
We are looking forward to our culinary and literary tour this May to Newfoundland and Fogo Island to celebrate Newfoundland authors and delicious food. This is our fourth tour and it looks amazing already. It is almost full but we do have two spots left if you are interested. For more information see news and events below.
We have two new restaurants to tell you about and delicious recipes.
Remember to support local Canadian foods and other goods wherever you shop and I am still lighting a candle every night for the return of all the hostages.
Bonnie
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| Kitchen Tip |
APPLE SAUCE
|  If a recipe calls for just a little applesauce (see oatmeal muffin squares in recipe section below) and you don't have any and don't want to go to the store, here's a simple solution: peel and core an apple (8 to 10 oz) and cut into chunks. Place in a microwave safe bowl (I used a 4 cup glass measure for about 8oz of cut up apple). Add 1 tbsp water. Microwave on medium high 4 to 5 minutes, checking every minute, until you can mash it easily. If you have more applesauce than you need, just eat it. |
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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. |
APRIL 2025
| NITA PROSE: THE MAID'S SECRET |  We are excited to welcome back Nita Prose, author of The Maid, The Mystery Guest, and The Mistletoe Mystery to celebrate her last in the series!
When a daring art heist takes place at the Regency Grand, Molly’s life is threatened. The question is who’s out to get her, and why?
Molly Gray’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined. As the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, good things are just around the corner, including her marriage to her beloved fiancé, Juan Manuel, only two months away.
But Molly’s entire existence is upended when a film crew descends upon the hotel to shoot the hit reality TV show Hidden Treasures, starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle. On a whim, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone's surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure. Instantly, Molly is both a multi-millionaire and a media sensation—the world’s rags-to-riches darling until the priceless piece vanishes from the hotel in the boldest, brashest antiquities heist in recent memory.
The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about Gran’s true-to-life fairytale, a young girl to the manor, born the only child of a wealthy magnate. But when Gran falls head over heels in love with a young man, her parents deem below her station, her life is thrown into turmoil. As fate would have it, the greatest love of Gran’s life is someone Molly knows quite well…
Together with her friends, Molly combs the past and the present to catch the thief before looming threats against her become real. | Date: Monday April 28, 2025 (limited seats available)
Time: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Location: TBA
Fee: 195 + HST (includes dinner, beverages, gratuity, author talk and a copy of The Maid's Secret sent out as soon as possible)
Advance registration only: email bonnie@bonniestern.com, subject line 'Book Club' |
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| 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 | 
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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| Some of Bonnie's Cookbooks | | | 
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 |
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| News And Events | BOOK AND DINNER CLUB TOUR
TO NEWFOUNDLAND AND FOGO ISLAND |  Sunday May 11 to Sunday May 18, 2025
If you have always wanted to go to Newfoundland the combination of delicious food, meeting some of Canada's favourite authors, visiting Gander - sight of the real Come From Away, and experiencing the world famous Fogo Island Inn, this tour can't be beat. Three nights in St.John's, one night in Gander and three nights at Fogo Island Inn will be a dream come true. We will be hosting book clubs, meals at top restaurants, classes and so much more.
If you are not already on our travel email list to receive information about our tours, please email bonnie@bonniestern.com with your full name, email address and phone number with the subject line: NEWFOUNDLAND.
NOTE: If you are interested in joining our May 11 - 18, 2025 tour there are two places left - please contact Jill Curran for more information as soon as possible.
jill@maxximvacations.com
1 800 567 6666
This is the perfect time for a Canadian adventure. |
| GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE SPECIAL POSTGRAD DINNERS |  Thursdays March 20, 27, April 3 or 10, 2025
An exclusive dinner series at the Chef's House featuring regional Italian menus curated by Italian Postgraduate program students.
For more information and tickets click: Postgrad Dinners. |
| JLT CHEF’S SHOWCASE 2025 |  Thursday April 24, 2025
A yearly fundraiser event hosted by the Junior League of Toronto at the George Brown School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts. In the atrium of the George Brown Culinary Centre, 12 exceptional chefs set up tasting tables for a culinary cruising event.
For tickets and more information click JTL Chef Showcase 2025 |
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| Restaurant Recommendations and More | TORONTO, ONTARIO Maven
112 Harbord Street
Toronto
647 348 9666 | We loved going to Maven - a friendly, neighborhood restaurant on Harbord Street, featuring updated and delicious Jewish food. Our favourites were challah buns with chicken liver mousse, sticky charred carrots, chicken schnitzel, duck confit cholent, salads and cheesecake for dessert that was so similar to my mom's!
Moderate |
Morellinas
146 Christie Street
Toronto
416 659 7044 | Although I haven't been yet myself, Leonie Eidinger, who has worked with me for many years and whose taste I trust completely, loved it so much. Leonie says that this small cozy restaurant was a jewel and that their attention to detail in food and service was amazing. She especially loved the burrata with arugula, roasted pears and focaccia and the rosetta alla vodka - rose shaped pasta stuffed with homemade ricotta and mozzarella with tomato vodka sauce and so much more.
Moderate to expensive |
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Featured Recipes
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| ISRAELI ORANGE SOUP | | 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1 small onion, chopped1 clove garlic, finely chopped1 tsp chopped fresh ginger root1 tsp harissa or other hot sauce, optional1/2 tsp smoked or sweet paprika1 tbsp tomato paste1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (about 2 to 2 1/2 cups)1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (about 2 to 2 1/2 cups)1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (about 2 to 2 1/2 cups)4 cups vegetable stock or water, or more if necessary to cover vegetables2 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), less if using other salt3/4 cup coconut milk + 1/2 cup more for drizzling, optional*1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds |  This is a popular Israeli soup in a country where many people are vegetarian or vegan. It is often served for Friday night dinner or Jewish holiday meals instead of the matzo ball chicken soup so that everyone (vegan, vegetarian, kosher and everyone else) can eat it. I always make it with water or vegetable stock and freeze any leftovers just in case any unannounced vegetarians or vegans come over for dinner.
Method:
1. Place olive oil, onion, garlic and ginger in a large saucepan and cook gently until tender but not brown about 5 minutes. Add harissa, smoked paprika and tomato paste. Cook gently one minute longer.
2. Add vegetables (approximately 7 to 8 cups), combine with onion mixture, add liquid and bring to a boil. Add salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook gently 25 to 30 minutes or until all vegetables can be crushed with the back of a wooden spoon.
3. Puree soup with an immersion blender, food processor or blender until very smooth. If soup is too thick add additional stock or water a little at a time, until soup reaches the consistency you like. Add coconut milk and season to taste.
4. Serve drizzled with coconut milk and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.
*When you open a tin of coconut milk, stir it well. Use what you need and freeze any extra as it only keeps a few days in the refrigerator.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
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| KITCHENSENSE OATMEAL MUFFIN SQUARES | | 2 large eggs3 tbsp vegetable oil1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce*1 cup unflavoured yogurt (or 3/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup sourdough discard)1 tsp pure vanilla extract or paste1 3/4 cup quick cooking oats1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used gf cup4cup)1/3 cup whole wheat flour (or additional all-purpose flour or cup4cup)1 tsp cinnamon1 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp baking soda3/4 tsp kosher salt1/2 cup dried cherries (or raisins or other dried fruit)1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped |  When my good friend Mitchell Davis posted this recipe on his newsletter (Kitchensense) I knew I would love it. Mitchell is an amazing cook and his food adventures are always worth noting (I have been on many of them). He is also a dedicated sour dough baker and uses the discard in all sorts of ways as he never wastes a thing! So, if you too make sourdough here's another way to use the discard but if you don't, don't worry you can use something else (see below). My own love affair with sour dough ended years ago when I couldn't eat all the bread I had to make and eat and feed, but still love eating sour dough bread when I choose to.
(Fun fact: In Stockholm there is a place called the Sourdough Hotel where they take care of your sourdough while you are on vacation. Of course we went there. It does not look like a regular hotel.)
*If a recipe calls for applesauce and you don't have any here's a simple solution: peel and core an apple (8 to 10 oz) and cut into chunks. Please in a microwave safe bowl (I used a 4 cup glass measure for about 8oz of cut up apple). Add 1 tbsp water. Microwave on medium high 4 to 5 minutes, checking every minute, until you can mash it easily. If you have more applesauce than you need just eat it.
Method:
1. Spray or line (or both) an 8" square baking dish with parchment paper hanging over at least two sides. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl combine eggs, oil, brown sugar, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla.
In another large bowl combine oats, flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into egg mixture and stir in cherries and pecans until combined.
3. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the centre is firm when gently pressed or an instant read thermometer reached 185F - 195F.
4. Cool on a wire rack and then run a knife around the edges without parchment paper and lift from the pan. Cut into squares.
Makes 16 squares |
| COCONUT WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH COCONUT FROSTING | 3 cups all-purpose flour (I used Cup4Cup gf flour)2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)1 cup butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature1 1/2 cups granulated sugar4 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled4 eggs1 tbsp coconut extract or emulsion1 tsp pure vanilla extract1 cup coconut milk**4 oz white chocolate, chopped, optional
icing:1/2 cup butter, cut into 1/2" pieces4 oz brick-style full-fat cream cheese, cut into 1/2" pieces2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted1 tsp coconut extract or emulsion1/4 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)1 cup (or more) shredded unsweetened coconut |  Everyone seems to be making coconut cake this winter. It must be because of all this snow. Even though I love coconut cake I am a little behind the trend but finally came around under the 'spell' of the Tom Cruise copycat cakes when Anna convinced me we needed a new favourite cake. There were so many different versions online! How does anyone choose which recipe to try? I decided to go with @cakebycourtney because she said she tasted the original one. And it was similar enough to my old coconut cake recipe so I knew it would work. I combined the recipes to suit my taste and it was a big hit.
*This cake can also be baked in a 9"x13" rectangular pan or two round 8" pan - however, because the cake(s) will be thinner this way, it will probably only take 25 to 30 to bake. An instant read thermometer should register 185F inserted into the centre.
**Be sure to whisk your coconut milk when opening a can as it tends to separate. Freeze any you do not use in the recipe for the next time you need some.
Method:
1. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan or angel food cake pan (tube pan) with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Reserve.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together until light in colour and texture. Beat in the melted (and cooled) white chocolate and continue beating about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of the bowl. Add coconut and vanilla extracts. Beat about two minutes longer until creamy and light.
4. With the mixer on medium low, or by hand with a wooden spoon, add flour mixture in 3 or 4 additions alternately with the coconut milk beginning and ending with flour. Stir in the chopped white chocolate if using.
5. Spoon into prepared pan and and smooth the top. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or longer until the top feels firm when gently pressed, a skewer inserted into the cake comes out almost completely clean and internal temperature reaches 185F to 195F. (Try not to overbake.) Cool on a rack about 30 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before icing (probably a few hours as it is a big cake).
6. For the icing, in the stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a strong hand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together until it is light in colour and texture. Beat in the sifted icing sugar about 3/4 cup at a time beating until smooth after each addition. Add coconut extract and salt.
7. Spread icing all over the cooled cake and sprinkle with coconut.
Makes 10 to 12 servings |
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© Copyright 2025, Bonnie Stern Cooking Schools Ltd.
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