Pie-licious with Wanda

Learn how to bake seasonal pies with local talent, Wanda Beaver, founder and owner of Wanda's Pie in the Sky located in Toronto, ON.

Wanda will offer students hands-on instructions into the art of pastry and pie making - ensuring that your pie has the perfect light, flaky pastry, surrounding the mouth watering warm fillings.

Bonnie Gordon School
Tuesday, November 24/09
6:30pm-9:30pm

FUN-damentals of French Pastries

In the month of October, the Bonnie Gordon School offered the first ever Fundamentals of French Pastries class - and we are proud to say that it was a huge success! We received raving feedback from our students who learned, baked, and ate the best that French Pastries have to offer.

Voulez-vous 'bake' avec moi?

Stay tuned for part two of this delicious program, titled - Petit Fours and Party Favours, where students will learn to make classic French macaroons, flavoured guimauve (marshmallows), chocolate cannelle, lemon madeleine and honey cashew caramels. No experience or prerequisites required. December 5-6/09.

Here are some pictures from our FUN-damentals of French Pastries class!

The Retail Store

"Visa cards are a girls best friend"

Calling all shopaholics!
The retail store located inside the Bonnie Gordon School is bigger than ever. We carry all supplies and designs required for our classes, along with modern and sophisticated designs for the amateur baker and cake designer. Some of our suppliers include basic cake designs from Wilton, sophisticated cake designs by FMM and Patchwork Cutters, fondant and gumpaste from Satin Ice, Moulds and Cutters from Sunflower and Creative Cutters, purees from Qzina, and chocolates from Callebeaut and Lindt.

There is so much more - but there is no point to mention them all. See for yourself when you visit the Bonnie Gordon School.






... because every cake designer has a little shopaholic in them.

RECIPE: Callebeaut Delight

We want to share a little secret with you...

Alright, its not so little - it's sort of a big deal!
It's the delicious recipe to the Callebeaut chocolate mousse that we served at the Eat to the Beat event. Here is a peek of these delicious desserts in mini cups.

Verrine with Tanzanian Chocolate Mousse, Lemon Pannacotta and Flourless Chocolate Cake

8 oz glass (such as a wine glass or other decorative glass)
8 x 180 g portion/ 6 oz

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

100 g Butter
125 g Cacao Barry Tanzanian Origine Chocolate
100 g Sugar
3 Eggs

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
2. Grease a 8”x 8” baking dish
3. Melt chocolate and butter over water bath. Remove from heat
4. Whip egg and sugar until bands are formed on surface
5. Fold into chocolate mixture and place into the baking dish
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes
7. Cool down and cut into 8 pieces
8. Place in the 8 “Verrine” glasses

PANNA COTTA

300 ml Cream 35%
75 ml Milk
75 g Sugar
1 Lemon zest
½ Vanilla bean or 1 tsp high quality pure vanilla extract
4 g Gelatin powder
30 ml Water

1. Simmer the cream, milk, vanilla pod (cut open length wise) and lemon zest for 5 minute over low heat
2. Remove from heat and add sugar
3. Mix gelatin powder with 30 ml of water. Microwave for 10-20 seconds to melt gelatin or melt over water bath until gelatin is liquefied
4. Add gelatin to cream mixture
5. Strain through a sieve to remove lemon zest and vanilla pod.
6. When slightly cooled pour straight in to the 8 glasses with the chocolate cake on the bottom
7. Let cool for ½- 1 hour in refrigerator to let the Panna Cotta set

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

75 g Sugar
75 g Water
4 (75 g) Egg yolks
120 g Cacao Barry Tanzanian Origin Chocolate
30 g Butter, un-salted
250 ml Whipping cream 35%

1. Boil water and sugar in small pot for 5 minutes to make a syrup
2. Pour hot syrup over egg yolks while whisking fast not to coagulate the eggs. Continue whipping until foamy and ribbons are forming on top of mixture
3. Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl on top of a simmering pot filled with water (Water bath). Once chocolate is melted, remove from heat and stir to combine.. Add egg mixture, by folding it in to chocolate and combine well
4. Whip cream and fold gently in to chocolate mixture.
5. Place in a pastry pocket
6. Divide mousse into the 8 glasses on top of the Panna Cotta.
7. Decorate with Crispearl, fresh Raspberries, Candied Ginger or Chocolate shavings

Bonnie Gives Back

“Oh what a night! Late, I mean early October back in sixty – err, I mean 2009. What a very special time for me. ‘Cause I remember what a night!”

Alright, so maybe the lyrics to Frankie Valli’s song, Oh What a Night, wasn’t the best choice – but when I think back to last nights event, the title of the song just makes sense!

Eat to the Beat hosted their 14th annual fundraising gala at Roy Thomson Hall yesterday. The room was filled with 60 of Canada’s finest female chefs who brought together gourmet food and great wine to raise money for Willow Breast Cancer Support – an organization that has raised over $2.7 million to support anyone affected by breast cancer. The Bonnie Gordon School has participated in this event for the past 7 years - we look forward to the next one!





To learn more about Willow Breast Cancer Support, check out their website: http://www.willow.org/.

To learn more about Eat to the Beat, check out their website: http://www.eattothebeat.ca/.

Ready, Set, GO!

The graduates of our Confectionary Arts Program are amazing! They are working so hard making hundreds of truffles and petit fours for the Eat to the Beat charity event going on tomorrow night.
Our truffles flavours include Gianduja Chocolate with Feuilletine, White Chocolate Passionfruit with Coconut, Espresso Maple Crunch, and Espresso & Cocoa. I wonder why my mouth is watering right now?

If you're free - join the Bonnie Gordon School and 60 other renowned Canadian female chefs as we help raise money for the Willow Breast Cancer Support Foundation. For more information, check out http://www.eattothebeat.ca/.

Here are a couple pictures of our students in action!