To Life!

FOOD

A Bonnie Thanksgiving

Wonderful holiday recipes from a longtime local favorite.

Annabel Cohen
I Special to the Jewish News

F

or 25 years, Bonnie's
Patisserie was the destina-
tion for signature desserts
and epicurean catering. For
Bonnie's fans in the know, it was
the place to go for ready-made
take-away foods as well.
Recently, owner Bonnie
Fishman decided to move her
decades-old business from the
charming, but relatively hidden
Northwestern Highway location
to a newer, in-your-face
Telegraph hot spot. Her new
shop is called Bonnie's Kitchen, a
moniker not nearly as limiting.
Stroll into the brightly tiled
"Kitchen" and you'll find gourmet
carryout foods, eat-in dining,
catering and cooking classes,
sometimes all at the same time.
The open kitchen area, with
chefs busily chopping and

sautéing, is really a bar — for
eating, watching cooking demos
or iust hanging, out. Bonnie
explains that this new Bonnie's is

EN

F-

heimishe.
"It's like Cheers' bar," she
Fishman. "Only it's eating, not
drinking'
Brightly lit cases highlight the
daily selections and scrumptious
sweets. A half-dozen tables allow
for sit-down dining. And though
they don't serve wine, a small but
respectable selection of wines is
available. Twice a month, you can
learn to cook at evening classes.
This year, for Thanksgiving,
you can have your meal catered, a
la Bonnie's. She offers a selection
of nearly three-dozen choices for
call-ahead orders. Or, you could
try your hand at making the fol-
lowing Thanksgiving recipes
(except the turkey) from Bonnie's
Kitchen cooking classes. ■

Head chef Joan Melnick at the stove

CHERRY HAZELNUT
STUFFING
3/4 cup sweetened dried cher-
ries
1/2 cup dry Sherry (any kind)
3 oz. (6 Tbsp.) butter or
margarine
2 cups finely diced onions
1 1/2 cups thin sliced leeks
(white part only)
2 celery stalks, chopped
(about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 pound loaf egg bread
(such as challa), cut into 1/2-
inch cubes
4 oz. hazelnuts, skinned, toast-
ed and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped
parsley
1/4 cup fresh chopped sage
3 eggs, beaten
1-2 tsp. salt
fresh ground black pepper
Place cherries in a small bowl
and pour the sherry over. Allow
the cherries to soak for 30-min-
utes. Set aside.
Melt the butter or margarine in
a large skillet over medium-high

22

heat. Add the onions, leeks, celery,
thyme, coriander and cinnamon
and sauté until the vegetables are
tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer
the mixture to a large bowl and
allow to cool to room tempera-
ture.
Add the bread, hazelnuts, pars-
ley, sage, eggs and cherries and
sherry. Toss well to mix and sea-
son to taste with salt and pepper.
Stuff the mixture into the cavity of
a 16-18 pound turkey or place in a
casserole dish that's been sprayed
well with nonstick cooking spray.
Cook the stuffing in the turkey,
following your favorite recipe (or
see recipe below), or cover the
casserole dish with foil and bake
for 1 hour (you may need to add
some chicken or turkey broth or
drippings to moisten). Makes 8-12
servings.

SPINACH, GREEN BEAN
AND PEAR SALAD
Dressing:
1/2 cup diced ripe Bartlett
pear (peeled or unpeeled)
6 Tbsp. dry white wine
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chopped shallots

1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper
to taste
Salad:
3/4 pound haricot vert (thin
French green beans), trimmed
6 cups fresh baby spinach
(about 6-ounces)
3 ripe unpeeled Bartlett pears,
quartered, cored and cut into
1/4-inch slices
3/4 cup blue cheese (any
variety), optional
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
Make the dressing. Place the
pear in the bowl of a food proces-
sor and process until smooth. Add
the wine, lemon juice, shallots and
mustard and pulse to combine.
With the motor running, drizzle in
the oil through the feed tube.
When all is processed, season to
taste with salt and pepper.

Make the salad: Bring a medi-
um pot of water to a boil. Drop the
haricot vert into the water and
cook for 2 minutes, or until ten-
der-crisp and still very green.
Transfer the beans to a colander
and rinse with cold water to stop

the cooking process. Drain well.
Combine the beans, spinach,
pears, blue cheese and walnuts in
a large bowl and toss well. Add the
dressing and toss well to combine.
Season to taste with salt and pep-
per and serve. Makes 8 servings.

INDIAN CORN SOUFFLE
6 large or 8 medium ears of
corn
1 large red bell pepper
2 small or 1 large Poblano
chile pepper
5 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
pepper
1 3/4 cup milk
4 large eggs
Grill the corn over an open
flame or on a grill until lightly
charred on all sides. Allow to cool
to the touch and, using a sharp
knife, remove the kernels to a
medium bowl.
Grill the red bell pepper in the
same fashion, until the skin is
very charred (black). Place the

grilled pepper in a paper or plas-
tic bag (closed) for 10 minutes.
Use your fingers to remove the
charred pepper skin, the stern and
seeds from the pepper. Chop the
pepper and add to the corn ker-
nels. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray
a 3-quart shallow casserole (or
baking dish) with nonstick cook-
ing spray. Set aside.
Make the white sauce: In a
medium saucepan, melt the but-
ter over medium-high heat.
Whisk in the flour, sugar, salt,
cumin and cayenne. Cook for 1
minute, stirring constantly. Slowly
whisk in the milk and bring the
mixture to a boil. Cook the mix-
ture, stirring frequently, until
thickened, about 5 minutes. Set
aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs
with a whisk. Slowly whisk in the
white sauce. Using a rubber spatu-
la, fold in the corn and peppers.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Gently transfer the mixture to the
prepared baking dish and bake for
30 minutes, or until the soufflé is
set and golden. Makes 8 servings. ❑

For more recipes, see JNOnline.com

November 10 . 2005

„TN