Caplansky’s Delicatessen is holding its inaugural “Battle of the Bubbies” competition this Sunday in search of the city’s best matzo ball maker. Chief mensch Zane Caplansky points out that the competition is open to anyone—not just bubbies—and there will be two categories to compete under: cannon balls (hard balls) and fluffy balls (soft balls). For the record, Caplansky himself likes the fluffy balls. The judges include Moses Znaimer, Bonnie Stern, David Sax, Lara Rabinovitch and Amy Wilson, so it’s quite clear that these people will know what goes in a good matzo, unlike most food competitions out there (remember when Antonio Sabato Jr. was a judge on Iron Chef?).
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Zane Caplansky wants your grandmother’s balls
The meat-free Yorkshire pudding, Toronto’s gut-warming cocktails, Bonnie Stern’s favourite apps
• Going meatless at certain times of the year, like Christmas, might mean passing on foods like Yorkshire pudding cooked in beef drippings. But the New York Times’ Mark Bittman proposes a seamless stand-in: the popover, which turns a crêpe-like batter baked in a butter-lined cup into Yorkshire-like quick breads. Apparently, they are “at once soft and custard-like on the inside, golden brown and crisp on the outside.” [New York Times]
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Cooking classes: the gift that gives back to the gifter
Unsurprisingly, cooking class registration increases in the weeks after Christmas, as wannabe chefs redeem gifts of culinary education. Those shopping around for just the right present will find options for any taste and talent level, with seminars on everything from making chocolate to tasting cheese or learning how to fry an Indian dosa. For romance, try a couples class; for kitchen newbies, there are beginner chef series. Below, our list of nine Toronto teaching kitchens and the gift-worthy classes they offer this December.
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Paula Deen hit by flying ham, Moscow’s favourite vodka comes to Canada, cooking up Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood
• The ever-upbeat Paula Deen was unaware that she was in a game of catch when someone tossed a ham in her direction, accidentally hitting her in the face. Deen was helping to unload donated meat at an Atlanta food bank on Monday when she tossed the pork to a gentleman, then turned away, not expecting that when the man said “Back atcha,” he meant it. Despite fears of a busted lip, Deen walked away from the incident injury-free, quipping, “I haven’t met the ham that could stop me yet!” [AP]
• Moscow’s most popular vodka, Russian Standard, hits the Canadian market this week. Purportedly based on a formula by chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (the man who invented the periodic table), the grain-based spirit is distilled four times and has a balanced, bready taste. At roughly half the price of Grey Goose, it will have recession-wary boozers stockpiling bottles from the LCBO. [Globe and Mail]
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The world’s top 10 ethical wines, deep-fried butter, the “Superbowl of cheese”

Gilding the lily: a form of deep-fried butter is in the running for best new midway food (Robert S. Donovan)
• In theory, it looks to be the ultimate in artery-clogging cuisine: deep-fried butter. That’s what renowned deep-fryer Abel Gonzales is bringing to the table at the State Fair of Texas’ annual contest for best new midway food. Gonzales’ previously honoured entries include fried Coke and fried peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches. The butter will be available in four flavours: original, garlic, grape and cherry. [Slashfood]
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Toronto sewage is farm-bound, meat is stolen, Hillary Duff is pro-lunch
• Spurred by research supported by the American College of Chest Physicians regarding the health benefits of soup, chef Bonnie Stern offers three recipes, just in time for the end of flu season. They don’t call it “Jewish penicillin” for nothing. [National Post]
• School board studies show that 68 per cent of students at north Toronto’s Emery Collegiate don’t eat breakfast and 54 per cent don’t eat lunch. The Toronto District School Board is trying to change that, with a little help from Hillary Duff. [National Post]
• A truck full of meat stolen from a Paris, Ontario, business was recently found in Toronto, and it looks like this was not a one-off robbery. Another vehicle was nabbed from the same business on Sunday—this time carrying $80,000 in frozen meat. [CD989fm]
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