Please join us in welcoming Sandy Gilbert to the dana shortt gourmet team! Sandy has extensive retail experience and a passion for cooking and fine foods.

rhubarb pecan muffins with
fresh orange

Who doesn't love homemade muffins on Sunday morning?

Forced rhubarb is available throughout the winter at your local grocery store, and field rhubarb will start to appear in April and May.

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 1/4 cups fine-chopped rhubarb (you can also replace the rhubarb with frozen berries or a wildberry blend)

Method:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients (including nuts).

2. In a medium sized bowl, beat the egg. Add the oil, orange zest and juice. Add flour all at once and stir until batter is just moist. Stir in rhubarb.

3. Pour into greased or sprayed muffin cups.

4. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 350 F.

Note: resist the temptation to over mix the batter! Stir until the flour is JUST combined, and don't worry if there are a few lumps.

If you over mix the flour, you will over develop the gluten in the flour - which will result in a tough muffin. You can also tell if a muffin is over mixed by it's appearance- it will usually have a high "peak" in the top middle area. Also, it might have "tunnels" inside - i.e. air pockets.

We still have 8 more spots available for our 5 course pick up valentines day dinner - if you are interested in booking a dinner, please call us at the shop! 519-880-1555

5 course menu - $34.95 per person

appetizer: sun-roasted tomato and pesto torte with flatbread

a wedge of “yummy foods” goat and cream cheese torte, layered with fresh pesto and sun-dried tomatoes,
served with flatbreads and crackers

soup: roasted red pepper, tomato and fresh herb

salad: dana’s signature mixed greens

organic mixed greens served with fresh vegetables and our signature
toasted almond vinaigrette

your choice of entrée:

• cannelloni stuffed with chicken, spinach and toasted almonds, draped in an emmental cheese sauce (vegetarian cannelloni is also available)
• pork tenderloin, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, apples and brie in phyllo pastry packages

dessert: rich chocolate pate with citrus crème anglaise

Price and Details

$34.95 per person (plus applicable taxes)
a Visa or MasterCard number is required to hold your order.

Available for pick up on Wednesday, February 14th between 4 pm – 6 pm.

Sorry, the meals will not be available before 4 pm, the shop will closing at 6 pm

The next time you want great crunch and a crispy texture to your meats, try using panko breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs.

Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese breadcrumbs, they're irregularly shaped and coarser than regular breadcrumbs. When used for frying, they produce a lighter, crunchier coating that's delicate - they also absorb less oil than regular breadcrumbs.

We use panko on top of our decadent macaroni and cheese, and for our miniature eggplant parmesan bites on our catering menu.

We buy our panko from a commercial food supplier, but I've seen bags available for purchase at Vincenzo's and University Food Market.

If you watch the food network, you will have probably heard of southern chef Paula Deen (she was also a guest on "Oprah" last week). Paula owns a restaurant in Savannah, GA called "The Lady and Sons" and has written 5 cookbooks. She also has a show on the food network called "Paula's Home Cooking", which airs every morning at 9 a.m. I love to watch her cook - I find her southern accent (and charm!) soothing. She introduced a brand new line of products at the Fancy Food Show, and I was lucky enough to meet her in person at the show! She was every bit as friendly, fun and approachable as she appears on TV. Currently, her company does not have a Canadian food distributor, but I hope to sell her fabulous products in the future.

For more information, please visit www.pauladeen.com

Have you ever made caramelized onions?

We LOVE using caramelized onions here at the shop - in quesadilla's, to jazz up rice, as a condiment on top of brie, with beef, in casseroles, folded into mashed potatoes, stuffed into a chicken breast...

The process is quite simple. Dice or slice a couple of onions to start. Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan (FYI - we use both butter and oil for a reason. The butter has great flavour but has a low smoking point, so it burns a lot quicker than oil, and you don't want that to happen. Oil has a higher smoking point, so it won't burn as easily. When you combine the two, you get the great flavour of butter and the advantage of the higher smoking point of the oil).

Once the oil/butter mixture is warm, add the onions to the pan and stir over medium heat for a minute or two. Then, turn down the heat as low as possible and slowly cook until the sugars are released and the onions are golden brown and caramelized - this can take anywhere from 30 minutes - 50 minutes.

When I'm in a rush and want to "cheat" (speed up the process) I add a teaspoon or two of white or brown sugar.

If you would like to be removed from this list, please let me know and we will fulfill your request asap.