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Contents
Kitchen Tip
October Book Club
Featured Cookbook
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 14 bestselling cookbooks,
hosted three national cooking shows, and appears 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 she was a recipient of the Premier’s Award. Bonnie'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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October 2025
Yes it is October and for me that means reading season! We are welcoming Linden MacIntyre back to our book club with his new book An Accidental Villain. We only have two spots left - so see details below and email me if you are interested.
Here's some really big restaurant news: Canada did so well in the new North America's 50 Best Restaurants that Americans (supposedly) are annoyed with us! Of course there are so many worthy restaurants in Canada but here's a shoutout to the ones that made the list: Mon Lapin, Montreal (#2), Restaurant Pearl Morissette, Lincoln (#3). Taniere3, Quebec City (#5), Quetzel, Toronto (#11), Baan Lao, Richmond (#12), Montreal Plaza, Montreal (#22), Published on Main, Vancouver (#28), Le Violon, Montreal (#29), Alma, Montreal (#43), Mhel, Toronto (#44), Beba, Montreal (#50). So many places to try!
Get the full list North America's 50 Best Restaurants
We recently returned from Prince Edward Island and had a wonderful time. I have included the restaurants below but wanted to point out a few things.
Michael Smith's Fireworks Feast at The Inn at Bay Fortune is not to be missed! It is more like a food event than just a dinner. Worth every minute and every bite.
I promise you have never had a lobster roll like the one at Richard's Seafood. The only problem is you will never care about any other lobster roll after eating this one.
And the third thing not to miss is the musical theatre at Harmony House, Hunter River, PEI. After seeing Inside American Pie when it was playing in Toronto, I vouched for the hour and a half drive from where we were staying, to see Inside the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald featuring the songs by Gordon Lightfoot. We were so impressed with the production and talented cast.
In the recipe section you will find a recipe for our version of the delicious Caramel Cornflake Brownies we tasted at Receiver Coffee; the egg and caramelized onion appetizer I served at Rosh Hashanah and the delicious egg free challah from Idan Chabasov (The Challah Prince).
See you at the Farmers' Markets - many are closing at the end of October.
And for those celebrating Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur let's hope for a safer, kinder, peaceful and healthy new year and for those who fast - wishing you an easy one.
Bonnie
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| Kitchen Tip |
Controlling Fruit Flies
|  Fruit flies love bananas - Cut off banana tips, rinse and pat dry.
Also, to trap fruit flies, put out a bowl of water, add 1 tbsp vinegar, cover tightly with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top. |
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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. |
| LINDEN MACINTYRE: AN ACCIDENTAL VILLAIN A Soldier’s Tale of War, Deceit and Exile |  From the bestselling, prize-winning author Linden MacIntyre comes an engrossing, page-turning exploration of the little-known life of Sir Hugh Tudor. Appointed by his friend Winston Churchill to lead the police in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence, Tudor met civil strife and domestic terrorism with indiscriminate state-sanctioned murder—changing the course of Irish history.
After distinguishing himself on the battlefields of the First World War, Major-General Sir Hugh Tudor could have sought a respectable retirement in England, his duty done. But in 1920, his old friend Winston Churchill, Minister of War in Lloyd George’s cabinet, called on Tudor to serve in a very different kind of conflict—one fought in the Irish streets and countryside against an enemy determined to resist British colonial authority to death. And soon Tudor was directing a police force waging a brutal campaign against rebel “terrorists,” one he was determined to win at all costs—including utilizing police death squads and inflicting brutal reprisals against IRA members and supporters and Sinn Fein politicians.
Tudor left few traces of his time in Ireland. No diary or letters that might explain his record as commander of the notorious Black and Tans. Nothing to justify his role in Bloody Sunday, November 21, 1920, when his men infamously slaughtered Irish football fans. And why did a man knighted for his efforts in Ireland leave his family and homeland in 1925, moving across the sea to Newfoundland?
Linden MacIntyre has spent four years tracking Tudor through archives, contemporaries’ diaries and letters, and the body count of that Irish war. In An Accidental Villain, he delivers a consequential and fascinating account of how events can bring a man to the point where he acts against his own training, principles and inclination in the service of a cause—and ends up on a long journey toward personal oblivion. | Date: Monday October 6, 2025 (limited seats available)
Time: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Location: 7 Numbers
516 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
Fee: 195 + HST (includes dinner, beverages, gratuity, author talk and a copy of An Accidental Villain sent out as soon as possible)
Advance registration only:
email bonnie@bonniestern.com with your full name and phone number (please indicate the best time to call) with subject line "book club" and we will call you. |
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| Book Club Location | | | 
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7 Numbers
Everything at 7 Numbers is delicious – calamari, lasagna, meatballs,
osso buco, sexy duck, everything.
516 Eglinton Avenue West
Toronto
416 322 5183
www.sevennumbers.com
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| Featured Cookbook | | | 
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 |
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| Restaurant Recommendations and More | PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND The Inn at Bay Fortune
758 Route 310
Souris, PEI
1 902 687 3745
1 888 687 3745
innatbayfortune.com | The Fireworks Feast at The Inn at Bay Fortune is more like performances and very well done! It was an amazing experience and although it is expensive, we felt it was worth it. For information about staying at the Inn, the feast and special events email info@innatbayfortune.com
Expensive |
Richard's Seafood
Covehead Wharf
9 Wharf Road
Covehead, PEI
Multiple locations | Everyone says Richard's has the best lobster rolls and everyone is correct. Be sure to have one! You will judge every lobster roll you ever have against this one! And the French fries are delicious too. I wanted to try everything but too full!
Moderate |
Receiver Coffee Company
178 Water Street
Charlottetown, PEI
Multiple locations | We loved the coffee and their breakfast sandwiches were amazing. And this is where I had Caramel Cornflake Brownies for the first time. See my version in the recipe section below. All their cookies and squares were great.
Moderate |
Slaymaker & Nichols
82 Fitzroy Street
Charlottetown, PEI
902 629 3411 | We loved our dinner at Slaymaker. The menu was diverse and everything was delicious. We loved the charcuterie board, fishcakes, tuna poke and burger. And cocktails were great.
Moderate to Expensive |
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Featured Recipes
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| Egg Salad with Caramelized Onions | | 2 lbs cooking onions, chopped1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil8 eggs2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or parsleykosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to tastelittle gem lettuce cups |  This is one of my favourite appetizers (or sandwich filling) - simple and delicious. Serve it with challah, chips, bagels or in these lovely looking little gem lettuce cups.
Method:
1. Place onions and olive oil in a large skillet and cook on medium heat until onions start to colour. Turn heat to low and cook until brown and caramelized 30 to 40 minutes or longer!
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp salt to the water. Gently lower eggs into the water and bring to the boil again. Reduce heat to low and cook 12 minutes. Remove eggs from the water to a large bowl and run under cold water. Gently crack the shells and leave in the cold water for 10 minutes or longer. Remove peels gently and discard.
3. Pat eggs dry. You can grate the eggs or gently mash with a potato masher or a fork.
4. When onions are ready season with salt and pepper and mix with eggs and dill.
Makes about 16 appetizers in little gem lettuce cups |
| Salted Caramel Cornflake Brownies | brownie layer:8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped3/4 cup butter, cut into cubes3 eggs1 cup sugar3/4 cup all-purpose flour2 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened), sifted1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp kosher salt
cornflake caramel layer:1 1/4 cups granulated sugar3 tbsp cold water3/4 cup whipping cream, warm1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature1/2 tsp kosher salt1 tsp pure vanilla extract5 cups cornflakes |  Am I the last person on the planet to know about cornflake brownies? We had them at the terrific coffee shop, Receiver Coffee, on Water Street in Charlottetown. I combined a version of my brownie recipe with my caramel sauce and wow! And while I usually add treats to my brownie mixture, now I top them with a treat! Perfect for Thanksgiving and Halloween.
Method:
1. For the brownies, preheat oven to 350F. Butter or spray a 9" square cake pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Place chocolate and butter in a microwave safe dish and melt together on high in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Stir until completely melted (or melt together in a heavy saucepan on medium low heat. Stir until smooth.) Cool.
3. Whisk eggs in a medium-large bowl and whisk in sugar slowly. Add vanilla and melted chocolate/butter mixture.
4. In another bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir into the egg/chocolate mixture until combined. Spread evenly in the baking dish. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until just set. (Do not overbake.) Cool about 20 minutes.
5. For the caramel, place sugar in a medium-large heavy saucepan (mixture bubbles up so you want a larger saucepan than you think you need). Stir in water being careful not to stir sugar up the sides of the pan. Heat on medium high until sugar just melts, stop stirring but do not leave the pan. Reduce heat to medium - mixture will bubble and then start turning brown - do not let it burn, that's why you don't leave the pan - and when it gets caramel coloured, add the cream in two additions. Mixture will bubble up and then calm down. Stir in the butter and then add vanilla and salt. Combine with cornflakes. Gently spread the caramel coated cornflakes over the brownies and refrigerate a few hours or preferably overnight.
5. When brownies are cold, loosen the parchment paper by running a knife around the edge and carefully lift the whole brownie and topping out of the pan to a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2 " squares and try not to eat too many.
Makes 25 to 36 squares |
| EGG FREE CHALLAH | 500 g all-purpose flour (3 1/2 cups lightly measured + a bit more if necessary)100 g granulated sugar (1/3 cup)8 g instant rising yeast (1 tbsp)12 g kosher salt (2 tsp)*60 g extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil (1/4 cup)220 g water (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp)
topping: (optional)2 egg yolks or 2 tbsp flour |  This recipe is based on the one from the Challah Prince, Idan Chabasov, who uses no eggs in his famous challah. His challahs are so beautiful and he is indeed a challah artist. When my friend Jacque Altman brought him to my Rosh Hashanah dinner this year I decided to try his egg free challah. Idan was in Toronto doing challah bakes as he does all over the world.
Idan uses a scale to weigh his ingredients as almost all professional bakers do but many home cooks prefer cups or perhaps do not have a scale. Therefore I have given you both. The one ingredient to be beware of is flour - when you are measuring it keep it light and be sure to use 'dry' measuring cups. Dry measuring cups are usually metal and come in a set of four - 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup. I 'fluff' the flour in the canister or bag with a half cup 'dry' measure and then overfill a one cup 'dry' measure with the lightly fluffed flour and without shaking it down, level the top with the straight side of a knife.
I like this dough because it is a little firmer than the one I usually make (with eggs) and the strands are nicer when rolled out.
Be sure to visit Idan's instagram @challahprince and website www.challahprince.com for shaping instructions and amazing ideas.
*I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt which is less salty than regular salt.
Method:
1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, with the dough hook, mix together flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Stir in oil and water. Knead dough with the mixer for about 5 to 10 minutes. If doing this by hand use one hand to hold the bowl steady and the other to work the ingredients together into a dough. Add a bit more water or flour as necessary to get a firm but flexible dough - not too sticky or too dry. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes.
2. Lightly oil a bowl at least twice the size of the dough and roll the dough around in it to oil on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let dough rest, in a warm space, until doubled in size (mine took about 1 1/2 hours).
3. Release the air from the dough by pressing your whole hand flat into the dough. I made two equal sized loaves - one with 3 strands and one with 4 strands. Divide dough in equal sized balls for each and let rest before rolling them into strands. If dough is hard to work with let it rest and try again. Roll out balls of dough into strands and braid as you wish or you can simply bake the balls into buns. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
4. Let dough rise a second time until almost doubled.
5. Preheat oven to 350F.
6. For a shiny glaze, beat yolks lightly with a fork (add a bit of cold water if too thick) and brush over loaves or buns. Or, dust loaves very lightly with flour through a small strainer (you do not need much). Bake 25 to 30 minutes until an instant read thermometer registers 185 to 195F when inserted into the middle. Cool on a rack.
Makes 2 loaves (about 450g/1 lb each) |
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© Copyright 2025, Bonnie Stern Cooking Schools Ltd.
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