Product Description

A personal invitation into the kitchen of one of Canada’s most popular cookbook authors.

For Bonnie Stern, good food is an essential element in turning a house into a home. With this lavish new cookbook, Bonnie invites us into her kitchen as she prepares food for the people she loves.

Bonnie Stern’s Essentials of Home Cooking is filled with Bonnie’s personal favourites -- dishes that reflect the way we are cooking now. You’ll find wonderful new recipes such as Caramelized Onion Tart with Gorgonzola, Lemon Meringue Pavlova Roll and Thai Shrimp Dumplings with Orange Chili Sauce. The book also includes some of Bonnie’s most popular dishes, such as Wheat Berry and Grilled Corn Salad, Split Pea Soup with Dill and Old-fashioned Rice Pudding, as well as time-honoured classics like Prime Rib of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Double Fudge Chocolate Cake. The recipes are fresh and full of flavour but never difficult to prepare, and Bonnie’s trademark step-by-step method and reassuring guidance will help even the most nervous cook through techniques like making meringues, working with phyllo and cooking the perfect risotto.

Along with the delicious recipes and striking photographs, Bonnie provides her own insights on topics she considers important to home cooking, from choosing organic produce to preparing light meals and cooking for children. And the text is full of funny and down-to-earth anecdotes gleaned from her extensive travels, her latest restaurant finds and her many years of teaching and working with some of the world’s best chefs.

This beautiful book is a must-have for anyone who loves good food, and for Bonnie Stern fans everywhere.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #91695 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-25
• Released on: 2003-08-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Amazon.ca
The busier people become, the more they seem to appreciate the pleasures of honest food, well-prepared. Bonnie Stern's Essentials of Home Cooking is the perfect collection for anyone who enjoys assembling a few fresh-from-the-market ingredients, gathering some friends or family, and relaxing over a homemade meal. For more than 25 years, the author has operated the Bonnie Stern School of Cooking; she also has 10 bestselling cookbooks to her name. This book contains new recipes inspired by Stern's recent travels and restaurant experiences, as well as some classic standbys and childhood favourites. You'll find familiar dishes such as Caesar Salad and Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding, along with piquant Coconut Pepper Chicken, Roasted Cod Adobo, and Creole Mashed Potato Salad. The collection is exceptionally well laid-out, with strong graphic appeal. The more than 150 recipes are organized under Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Main Courses, Side Dishes, All-Day Breakfasts, Cookies, and Desserts. Stern keeps her recipes streamlined enough to fit on one page. Optional sauces and accompaniments are often tucked in beside, along with musings on topics such as using organic produce and keeping recipes light. Dishes highlighted for their appeal to children include Angelhair Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce and Jenny's Macaroni and Cheese (a sneaky way to get kids to eat vegetables). Stern's Roast Turkey is perfection: Follow her technique and the bird emerges from the oven moist and flavourful, redolent of fresh rosemary and sage. Gravy is made dark and rich with a splash of Port, and the herb-spiked stuffing is a medley of wild mushrooms and leeks. Cranberry Port Sauce, with the zing of grated orange zest, rounds out the trimmings. Stern is at her strongest with such classics. Penne with Braised Escarole and Pancetta is thin and disappointing in comparison, while Red Lentil Soup--modified from traditional Middle Eastern versions--seems to lack the punch of the original. Still, Stern's tremendous popularity stems from her step-by-step techniques and her ability to make the world's cuisines accessible to the home cook. Here she surely succeeds at both. --Carolyn Leitch

Review
“[A] great mix of what’s new and worth trying with down-to-earth recipes that you’ll make again and again.”
—The Ottawa Citizen

“The recipes in the book are an eclectic mix of classic standbys, kid pleasers and more adventurous fare.”
—The Edmonton Sun

“The instructions were laid out logically and clearly. Sensible, practical and beautiful, Essentials is possibly Stern’s best cookbook yet.”
—The Coast (Halifax)

“She strives to give good value by including all of her secrets, her favourite recipes, lots of tips and lots of colour photos to make sure the book is worth the money.”
—The Chronicle-Herald (Halifax)

“It’s all comforting, Bonnie Stern’s food. It all works. It looks great, it’s easy to make. It adds up to confidence in the kitchen for the many Canadian cooks who have learned to rely on this dynamo’s delivering the goods.”
—The Calgary Herald

“Full of personal glimpses of Stern, about her travels, latest restaurant finds and nuggets from her many years of teaching.”
—The Guelph Mercury, The Daily News (Halifax), The Province (Vancouver)

“Stern combines the professionalism of a renowned chef with a love of eating and sharing food, and this book is sure to be an instant classic.”
—Doctor’s Review

“The cookbook I’m most excited about this season — the one I’d be asking for if I didn’t have it already, and the one I’m going to give my foodiest friends — is Bonnie Stern’s Essentials of Home Cooking … it’s a great mix of what’s new and worth trying with down-to-earth recipes that you’ll make again and again, and that even the picky eaters will eat and enjoy.”
—The Port Hope Evening Guide

From the Back Cover
“[A] great mix of what’s new and worth trying with down-to-earth recipes that you’ll make again and again.”
—The Ottawa Citizen

“The recipes in the book are an eclectic mix of classic standbys, kid pleasers and more adventurous fare.”
—The Edmonton Sun

“The instructions were laid out logically and clearly. Sensible, practical and beautiful, Essentials is possibly Stern’s best cookbook yet.”
—The Coast (Halifax)

“She strives to give good value by including all of her secrets, her favourite recipes, lots of tips and lots of colour photos to make sure the book is worth the money.”
—The Chronicle-Herald (Halifax)

“It’s all comforting, Bonnie Stern’s food. It all works. It looks great, it’s easy to make. It adds up to confidence in the kitchen for the many Canadian cooks who have learned to rely on this dynamo’s delivering the goods.”
—The Calgary Herald

“Full of personal glimpses of Stern, about her travels, latest restaurant finds and nuggets from her many years of teaching.”
—The Guelph Mercury, The Daily News (Halifax), The Province (Vancouver)

“Stern combines the professionalism of a renowned chef with a love of eating and sharing food, and this book is sure to be an instant classic.”
—Doctor’s Review

“The cookbook I’m most excited about this season — the one I’d be asking for if I didn’t have it already, and the one I’m going to give my foodiest friends — is Bonnie Stern’s Essentials of Home Cooking … it’s a great mix of what’s new and worth trying with down-to-earth recipes that you’ll make again and again, and that even the picky eaters will eat and enjoy.”
—The Port Hope Evening Guide

Customer Reviews

A Cookbook Classic!
I have a large collection of cookbooks but the Essentials is definitely one of my favorites. I haven't made anything out of this cookbook that someone hasn't asked for the recipe -- from the Braised Lamb Shanks with Sweet Red Pepper to the Thai Shrimp Dumplings to the Banana & White Chocolate Spring Rolls with Mango Sauce -- all just scrumptious - easy but you end up feeling like a real chef when you have made these recipes!

A must have for your cookbook library!
I have loads of cookbooks, and this one is one that I keep coming back to. I've tried many of the recipes and all of them have turned out well. In particular, the clafoutis recipe has been very well received and can be made up quickly for an impromptu desert, cooked through dinner and served warm. The Butter Tart Squares have also been a hit every time I've made them. The tortilla soup quickly became one of my personal favorites, along with a number of the chicken recipes. There is such a great range of recipes in this book and while none of them seem overly difficult, the majority will impress at a dinner party. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good "all around" cookbook!

Delicious Recipes
I found this book and Bonnie Stern's other cookbooks filled with delicious recipes. Many of her recipes have become staples of my cooking repertoire. Two of my favorite recipes of all time are Bonnie Stern recipes and I can't wait for her to write another book.