Panache: Montreal’s Flair for Kosher Cooking

Book Review by Norene Gilletz

PANACHE IS PACKED WITH PAN-TASTIC RECIPES!

When I first moved from Montreal to Toronto in 1997, I was fortunate enough to meet Shawna Goodman-Sone, a well-known cooking teacher and chef. She became my link to the local culinary community, helping me connect to the food mavens of Toronto – a mélange of cooking teachers, cookbook authors, caterers and food stylists who all shared my passion for food.

We still stayed in touch when Shawna moved from Toronto to Philadelphia. She later moved to Montreal and initiated a cookbook fundraising project for the Jewish General Hospital. Over 100 volunteers from Montreal’s Jewish community gathered, submitted and tested recipes for Panache, which took two years to create.

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Margaret’s Table – Easy Cooking & Inspiring Entertaining Secrets of Easy Entertaining from a Culinary Expert

Summertime is just around the corner and although I enjoy entertaining friends and family, I don’t enjoy spending time in the kitchen when the weather is warm and sunny. I’m always on the lookout for simple solutions to entertaining, so I was delighted to discover the award-winning cookbook: Margaret’s Table – Easy Cooking & Inspiring Entertaining, by Margaret Dickenson of Ottawa.

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Recipes for Passover

SHARON SCHACK’S BON VIVANT

Sharon Schack is originally from South Africa and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Sharon writes “All my family now lives in Sydney, Australia. Bon Vivant is a favorite dessert in Australia, and I make it every Passover because it has no flour. It can be made either dairy or pareve, and isn’t difficult at all. It’s also a good “make-ahead” dessert, as it needs to sit in the freezer for a while to make cutting easier. The recipe comes from Secrets From Our Kitchens, a cookbook published by Moriah College in Sydney. I’ve given you both metric and Imperial measurements as I’m comfortable with either one. Enjoy!”

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The Ultimate New York Diet

Cookbook Review by Norene Gilletz

The Ultimate New York Diet can help you get in shape for Summer – or anytime!

You don’t have to be a celebrity or a New Yorker to reap the benefits of David Kirsch’s fresh approach to a healthy, fit lifestyle featured in his best-selling book, The Ultimate New York Diet ($24.95 US/$29.95 Cdn). David Kirsch is a celebrity fitness trainer and Shape columnist, and has appeared on Today, Access Hollywood, and Extreme Makeover.

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Berry Special Food Memories

I love berries of all sorts, but blueberries are my absolute favorite. Blueberries are considered a “super-food” because of their health benefits. They’re packed with phytonutrients, anthocyanins and other gigantic words that are used to describe the small, but mighty blueberry. But the best thing about blueberries is their fabulous flavor and the special memories they evoke.

My sister Rhonda Matias has mmm-marvelous memories of our mother’s fabulous blueberry pie. Mom always added a green apple to her blueberry filling, which gave it a hint of tartness as a counterpoint to the sweetness of the berries.

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