Bonnie Stern Food News
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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:

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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 novelists 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.

 

June, 2023

I love Newfoundland. It is such a wonderful place. The province is beautiful, the food is delicious but most of all the people are as down to earth, kind and welcoming as you have probably heard. On our recent tour we had so many memorable moments and met so many wonderful people, heard from so many talented authors and had so many delicious meals. Check the restaurant section below for recommendations.

Our book club with Marsha Lederman last month was very meaningful and emotional. Her personal story of a second generation Holocaust survivor in Kiss the Red Stairs, helps us remember this terrible time in our history not just as Jews but as humans. It reminds us about the importance of family and not to forget to ask those important questions. The book club was held at United Bakers Dairy Restaurant which was the perfect place - a restaurant that is like family to its clients and staff for over 100 years.

Watch out for exciting book clubs with Michael Crummey, Adeena Sussman, Nita Prose, Ken Dryden and more.

Good news: Don't Worry, Just Cook, the cookbook I wrote with Anna Rupert was just shortlisted for the Taste Canada Awards in the General Cookbook English category. Very exciting.

More good news: Anna and I are participating in Christmas in November at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. They are celebrating the 33rd year of this food and wine festival. See News and Events below for more information.

Farmers markets are almost all open and outside now. Hope to see you there.

Bonnie

For more recipes, videos and reels be sure to follow me on Instagram @bonniestern.

Kitchen Tip
Preparing ribs
Preparing ribsThere are a few tricks for cooking fall-off-the-bone really tender ribs but the first one happens before you even start to cook. There is a thin membrane on the underneath side of the ribs, and if it is removed before cooking, the ribs are much more tender and flavourful. Some butchers remove this membrane automatically or will if you ask, but often it is still there. To remove it, separate about a 1" piece of the membrane from a corner and grab it with a paper towel and while holding the rack with another paper towel, rip off the membrane.


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.


JUNE

TOM RACHMAN: THE IMPOSTERS
TOM RACHMAN: THE IMPOSTERSWhat better way to wrap up this season with a long-awaited return visit by Book Club favourite Tom Rachman. Tom will be travelling from the UK to launch his brand new novel, the superb The Imposters.

From the author of the international bestseller The Imperfectionists, the story of a chameleonic writer, and the indelible characters in her orbit, in a novel about love, the power of art and what we leave behind.
 
Dora Frenhofer, a once successful but now aging and embittered novelist, knows her mind is going. She is determined, however, to finish her final book, and reverse her fortunes, before time runs out. Alone in her London home during the pandemic, she creates, and is in turn created by, the fascinating real characters from her own life.
 
Like a twenty-first-century Scheherazade, Dora spins stories to ward off her end. From New Delhi to New York, Copenhagen to Los Angeles, Australia to Syria to Paris, Dora's chapters trot the globe, inhabiting the perspectives of her missing brother, her estranged daughter, her erstwhile lover, and her last remaining friend, among others in her orbit. As her own life comes into ever sharper focus, so do the signal events that have made her who she is, leaving us in Dora's thrall until, with an unforeseen twist, she snaps the final piece of the puzzle into place.

The Imposters is Tom Rachman at his inimitable best. With his trademark style -at once "deliciously ironic and deeply affectionate" (The Washington Post) - he has delivered a novel whose formal ingenuity and flamboyant technique are matched only by its humanity and generosity.
Date: Monday June 26, 2023 (Limited seats available)
Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm
Location: The Edible Story
320 Richmond Street East #105, Toronto
Fee: 175 + HST (includes dinner, beverages, gratuity and a copy of The Imposters 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

www.theediblestory.com

Some of Bonnie's Cookbooks
 
Don't Worry, Just Cook
Bonnie's new cookbook, written with her daughter Anna Rupert (who 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
Cuisiner au goût du cœur
Cuisiner au gout du coeur
Published by Trecarre, 2006, 512 pages

$18.98 
Appetizers
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
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
News And Events
SMORGASBURG TORONTO 2023
SMORGASBURG TORONTO 2023Date: June 24 to September 9, 2023
Place: Toronto Harbourfront
7 Queens Quay East, at the foot of Yonge Street

Smorgasburg is the largest weekly open-air food market in America attracting thousands of people each weekend to eat from dozens of local vendors. This year, Smorgasburg Toronto is returning for a second season featuring 50 weekly vendors! Admission is FREE and all are welcome.

For More information click: Smorgasburg Toronto

SUMMERLICIOUS 2023
SUMMERLICIOUS 2023Date: Friday July 7 to Sunday July 23, 2023

Travel the world with your taste buds right at home this summer. Savour delicious three-course prix fixe lunch and dinner menus at more than 200 local restaurants. Explore what Toronto has to offer with our rich and diverse culinary culture at different price points.

Reservations accepted beginning June 29, 2023.
For more information click: Summerlicious 2023

CHRISTMAS IN NOVEMBER
CHRISTMAS IN NOVEMBERDates: November 3 to 12, 20203

Anna and I are so excited to be part of Christmas in November 2023 at the incredible Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. We hope you can join us for one of the three day food and wine celebrations at this magnificent resort.

For more information and to register click:
Christmas in November

(Take advantage of the early bird rate before July 1, 2023)

EATING ISRAEL: THE LAND OF DIVERSITY AND CULTURE
EATING ISRAEL: THE LAND OF DIVERSITY AND CULTURE2024 DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED

We are planning our 12th Eating Israel tour.

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

If you would like information when available please email Bonnie at  bonnie@bonniestern.com
Subject line: Israel Tour
Please include full name, email address and phone number.

FOGO ISLAND AND ST. JOHN’S FOOD TOUR & BOOK CLUB
FOGO ISLAND AND ST. JOHN’S FOOD TOUR & BOOK CLUB2024 DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED

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.

If you would like information when available please email Bonnie at bonnie@bonniestern.com
Subject line: Newfoundland Tour
Please include full name, email address and phone number.

ZOOM COOKING EVENTS
COOKING CLASSESBonnie has been doing custom Zoom cooking events for fund-raisers, corporate classes and private groups. One of her favourite formats is to bring families together who are separated by distance to cook and enjoy dinner together.

Contact bonnie@bonniestern.com for more information and rates. Subject line: Bonnie’s Cooking Events. Events can be personalized but some of the popular themes are:

Italian All the Time

French Country Cooking

Israeli Family Dinner

Mediterranean Flavours

Restaurant Recommendations and More
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Fat Pasha
414 Dupont Street
Toronto
647 340 6142
Anna and I had the most delicious brunch at Fat Pasha on the patio - one of the nicest in the city. We loved the shakshuka and pastrami hash with crispy potatoes!
Moderate
FK Kitchen
770 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto
416 551 9731
Delicious dinner and great service.
Expensive
United Bakers Dairy Restaurant
Lawrence Plaza
506 Lawrence Ave. West
Toronto
416 789 0519
UB, as it is affectionately referred to, is so much more than a restaurant. It's a family - a family to many generations in Toronto, after all - the restaurant has been owned by the same Ladovsky family since 1912. It is also a family to their staff some of whom have worked there for over 30 years. I especially love the pea soup (even in summer), smoked whitefish spread, blintzes, latkes, eggplant parm, Greek salad and so much more.
Moderate
Diwan Restaurant
Aga Khan Museum
77 Wynford Drive
Toronto
416 646 4670
Not only is the Aga Khan Museum extraordinary, the restaurant is also amazing! Open for lunch (reservations required), the food is delicious with global flavours and presented beautifully.
Moderate to Expensive
ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND
Portage
128 Water Street
St. John's
709 552 1100
The vegetable forward menu from the team at Raymonds and Merchant Tavern is so delicious! The restaurant is casual and inviting and an amazing addition to the restaurants that put St. John's on Canada's food map.
Moderate
Terre
Alt Hotel
125 Water Street
St. John's
709 383 2136
The Alt Hotel is one of my favourite places to stay in St. John's. Central to everything, and home to their wonderful, award winning restaurant, Terre.
Moderate to Expensive
Duke of Duckworth
325 Duckworth Street
St. John's
709 739 6344
Everyone says these are the best fish and chips they have ever tasted and they are right! Also delish was the chowder and people say coleslaw (next time).
Moderate
Mallard Cottage Restaurant
8 Barrows Road
St. John's
709 237 7314
Traditional Newfoundland specialties upgraded in this beautiful cottage setting cannot be beat! Those fishcakes, cod cheeks, mussels and so much more.
Moderate to Expensive
The Merchant Tavern
291 Water Street
St. John's
709 722 5050
This restaurant is always terrific in every way. I have been for breakfast, lunch and supper and it is always wonderful.
Moderate
GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND
Union East
Gander International Airport
1000 James Blvd
Gander
709 651 1666
Besides catering a traditional Newfoundland family dinner for us, their regular Union East menu is pretty good for an airport restaurant. I loved the mac and cheese - but beware portions are huge.
Moderate
Jumping Bean Coffee
200 Airport Blvd
Gander
Best coffee, scones, cookies and breakfast sandwiches in the area.
Moderate
Featured Recipes
BACK RIBS WITH MAPLE CHIPOTLE BBQ SAUCE
  • 5 to 6lbs/2.5 to 3 kg back rib - 3 racks
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose rub (or 1 1/2 tsp each kosher salt, sugar, cumin, paprika and 1/4 tsp black pepper)


  • barbecue sauce:
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup chili sauce (ie. Heinz)
  • 1/4 cup favourite bbq sauce
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp pureed chipotles (or chipotle hot sauce)
  • SPARERIBS WITH MAPLE CHIPOTLE BBQ SAUCEEven though we barbecue all year, there is something special about barbecued ribs that say summer. Here's my favourite method for cooking really tender ribs. Use your favourite sauce or my current favourite quick sauce below.

    One secret to really tender ribs is to be sure the membrane on the underneath (bone) side has been removed. If not, cut away a small piece at the corner of a rib and holding the rack in place with a paper towel in one hand, with a paper towel in the other hand grab the membrane and rip it off.


    Method:
    1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line two sheet pans with aluminum foil hanging over the edges. Line with parchment paper.

    2. Be sure the membrane is removed from the back of each rack of ribs. Rub both sides with rub. Place ribs in a single layer on the parchment. Cover with another sheet of parchment and then aluminum foil and scrunch the foil together until sealed. Place in the oven and cook 2 hours or longer until the ribs are very tender when pierced with a knife.

    3. While ribs are cooking combine ketchup with chili sauce, bbq sauce, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and chipotles.

    4. When ribs are tender, remove the top foil and parchment paper. Drain off any liquid in the pan. Brush about 3/4 of the sauce on both sides of the ribs.

    5. Increase oven temperature to 350F. Bake ribs 25 to 30 minutes or until browned.

    6. When ready to serve reheat the ribs on a medium hot barbecue for about 10 to 15 minutes, brushing with remaining sauce a few times.

    Makes 6 servings
    MY MOTHER'S BLINTZES
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup water + more as necessary
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp butter + more for cooking


  • filling:
  • 1 1/2 lbs full fat solid curd or framers cheese or ricotta or a combination (see intro)
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • sour cream or yogurt
  • berries
  • jam
  • compote
  • MY MOTHER'S BLINTZESMy mother, Ruthie, made the best blintzes. She was well known for this beloved Jewish food. Her bletlach (thin crepes or 'leaves') were very thin and the cooked blintzes were browned and buttery. It takes some practice to make the crepes like she did but after a few times you get the hang of it. She also secretly told me you have to be a good person to make good blintzes (she was a very good person) so it took me extra time until I felt confident in my goodness.

    Lately the way to make blintzes is to heat them in the oven rather than fry them - fill the uncooked side, roll them up with open ends and bake them side by side in a single layer in a buttered baking dish for 20 minutes in a preheated 375F oven - but then they don't taste like my mom's although they are very good. Also lately, it has been hard to find full fat farmers cheese or solid curd cottage cheese and many cooks are using 14% (or higher) ricotta instead and it works very well.

    Blintzes can be assembled ahead and then cooked or frozen, or cooked and then frozen.


    Method:

    1. In a large bowl, with a whisk or in a blender or food processor, mix together eggs, milk, water, flour, sugar and salt. Let batter rest, covered, at least 1/2 hour at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

    2. Melt butter in an 8" or 9" nonstick skillet and whisk into the batter. If batter has thickened, add additional water until it is the thickness of unwhipped cream.

    3. Return skillet to the heat (about medium or medium high) and add 1/2 cup batter. Quickly swirl batter in pan to cover the bottom and pour the rest back into the bowl of batter. Cook about a minute or two until the bottom has browned. (Cut off that 'tag' of crepe and eat it or give it to a child.) The first one is the test one to see if the heat is right and help you get the swirling technique down. Stack crepes cooked side up.

    4. For the filling combine cheese, sugar, eggs and salt. Place 2 to 3 tbsp filling on the bottom third of the crepe - uncooked side. Fold up the bottom, fold in the sides and roll up.

    5. To cook, heat 2 tbsp additional butter in a 10" skillet and add blintzes about 4 to 6 at a time. Cook a few minutes per side until browned.

    6. Serve with toppings of choice.

    Makes 16 blintzes

    CHUCK'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES 2.0
  • 10 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup butter, cut into pieces
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract or paste
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp cocoa (unsweetened), sifted
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup chopped Skor bars (about 3), optional
  • 1 cup chopped white and/or milk chocolate
  • 1 tsp Maldon or other coarse salt, optional
  • optional caramel sauce andr ice cream
  • CHUCK'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES 2.0These have been my favourite brownies for many years. And the small updates I've made in our new book Don't Worry, Just Cook increase my love. I named these brownies for my nephew Chuck because we sent them to him when he was in Afghanistan with the Canadian forces. He said they disappeared before he could put them on the table! (I have heard this now happens everywhere you serve them.) They are great as a brownie on their own or served warm, drizzled with caramel sauce and top with ice cream for dessert. Anna even once made them as a giant brownie birthday cake covered in sprinkles for her friend Shana! They freeze well so I always have some on hand for last minute gifts. I have started cutting them in smaller squares or cutting the squares in half (on the diagonal or straight) because they are rich, and for some people two bites are enough (I don't know those people but I have heard) .

    Method:

    1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9"square baking dish and line the bottom and two opposite sides with parchment paper.

    2. Melt chocolate and butter together gently in a heavy saucepan or in the microwave (about 1 1/2 minutes). Stir until smooth. Cool.

    3. In a large mixing bowl whisk eggs until light. Whisk in sugar gradually. Keep beating until eggs are thick and pale. Add vanilla and melted chocolate/butter mixture.

    4. In another bowl whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and 1/2 tsp  kosher salt. Stir into batter until completely mixed. Add skor pieces and chocolate. Spread batter in pan. Sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake in the preheated oven 35 to 40 minutes until just set. Cool on a rack. Refrigerate a few hours - I like to leave them overnight. This will make them easier to cut nicely.

    5. To remove brownie 'cake' in one piece for cutting, run a knife around the edge and lift it out with the parchment paper. Trim the edges (eat them or freeze for later or give them to the person you love the most because those are the best part) and cut into small squares.

    6. Top with ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce if desired.

    Makes approximately 40 to 60 brownies depending on size.

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