[.ca] Bonnie Stern's Essentials of Home Cooking (ISBN 0679312544)

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

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!

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!

For Extravagant Cooks:
I love my cookbooks, but was disappointed with this one. I'm not a gourmet cook, but don't mind to take the extra time for something I or someone else likes. I found this to be very extravagant in ingredients for some recipes. I wished I wouldn't have purchased it and am now stuck with a cookbook I know I won't use.

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.