As some of you already know, I write a column for the waterloo chronicle every other Wednesday. The column is entitled "shortt stories" and I'm loving all the positive feedback!

Thus far, the articles have featured recipes for double-chocolate brownies, butternut squash & maple bacon risotto, pumpkin bread pudding with tipsy caramel sauce, and brandied apple walnut cake with citrus cream sauce.

This week's article discussed ideas on how to put together a fabulous cheese plate (a quick and easy appetizer for holiday entertaining!) and it featured a recipe for Swedish Nuts.

NOTE: step # 7 of the Swedish Nuts recipe was printed without including the total number of minutes baking time - it should have read:

BAKE FOR 30 MINUTES AT 325 F.

Sorry about that!

The next article is a tribute to my incredible brother Adam (an amazing cook) with 2 great recipes.

You can view past articles and recipes on line on the "news" section of our website at:

http://www.danashortt.ca/news.htm

pizza with grilled pears, prosciutto, blue cheese and walnuts

ingredients

• 1 store bought pizza shell or flatbread (or make your own)
• 6 slices prosciutto
• 2 pears, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (note: you can sub goat cheese for blue cheese)
• 1/2 cup mild shredded cheese (such as mozzarella)
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• good quality olive oil to taste
• sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste

method

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Top pizza shell with slices of prosciutto and sliced pears. Top with both cheeses and walnuts.
3. Bake in oven until crust is crisp and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve pizza with a green salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette - a peppery arugula salad would complement the pizza perfectly.

Did you know that we sell frozen, ready-to-bake hors d’oeuvres by the dozen?

All of our hors d’oeuvres are made from scratch, using only the highest quality ingredients (as always, no fake flavours or artificial ingredients).

Visit our website (www.danashortt.ca) to view our “pick up hors d’oeuvres” menu to peruse the available selections.

Gourmet made easy!

Here's an easy way to seed a pomegranate - just cut the fruit in half and submerge it in a bowl of cold water. Pry out the seeds in handfuls and transfer them to another bowl or dish.

Did you know that the Italian blue cheese "Gorgonzola" is named for a town outside of Milan where it was originally made?

Gorgonzola is a cow's milk cheese (unlike Roquefort, a famous French cheese made from sheep's milk) and it is delicious paired with sliced pears and a glass of port!

I'm thrilled to announce that the fabulous foodie sisters, Janet and Greta Podleski, will be making an appearance on Saturday, November 15th for our 1st annual Christmas open house!

Greta and Janet are the authors of 3 very successful cookbooks - "Looneyspoons", "Crazy Plates" and "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry". In addition to writing cookbooks, they sell a line of healthy frozen entrees (Crazy Plates) and have recently launched a line of high-end cooking tools and gadgets. They also host the popular foodtv network show called "Eat, Shrink and be Merry." We at dsg will be featured guests on an upcoming episode! (airing sometime in 2009).

The morning of the open house, I'll be cooking up a storm with the ladies in our kitchen...after we've finished taping the segment, Janet and Greta have agreed to come over to the retail area to say hello and sign a few cookbooks before heading off to their second shoot location.

We're so excited to welcome Janet, Greta and the production crew to Dana Shortt Gourmet!

Please join us for our 1st annual Christmas Open House on:

Saturday, November 15th
from 10 – 5 p.m.
and

Monday, November 17th
from 10 – 7 p.m.

Come and browse our new gourmet foods, holiday chocolate, treats, entertaining accessories, and more.

Get a head start on your hostess gifts (as always, we’ll offer free gift wrapping)

We’ll also have plenty of delicious samples on hand as well as a draw for a fabulous gourmet gift basket!

I’ve decided to open the store on Sunday’s from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. on the three Sunday’s leading up to Christmas Day.

The store will be open on the following Sundays:

• Sunday, December 7th
  from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  
• Sunday, December 14th
  from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  
• Sunday, December 21st
  from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

We’ve added a new cheese torte flavour to our line-up – just in time for the upcoming holiday entertaining season!

As of next week, we’ll offer a blue cheese, candied walnut & dried fruit torte… delicious served on our black pepper and red wine biscotti or raincoast crisp crackers.

The torte is also delicious crumbed into a salad, or try stuffing the mixture into poached apples and/or pears.

We are now selling flavoured sour creams to serve with our quesadilla’s.

Try one of the following combinations!

• brandy & spice sour cream for our bacon, apple, cheddar and caramelized onion quesadilla
• fresh lime & cilantro sour cream for our chicken, cheddar and salsa quesadilla
• roasted garlic & balsamic sour cream for our prosciutto, artichoke and asiago quesadilla
• red pepper & chive sour cream for our roasted vegetable and brie quesadilla

pears!

According to Harvest Canada (www.pearupontario.ca), October is officially "pear month" in Ontario but wonderful varieties of pears can still be found in the grocery stores this month.

Here are some delicious ideas to get you inspired to cook with pears:

• make an aged cheddar and sliced pear panini/grilled sandwich
• bake a pear and cranberry crisp
• add some pears when you make a squash or parsnip soup, puree with a touch of cream and a drizzle of maple syrup
• serve sliced pears with aged cheeses
• make a pear compote to serve with pork tenderloin
• poach pears in red wine and stuff with our new blue cheese torte. Serve atop a bed of greens with a few nuts and some sliced red onion
• top a wheel of brie with sliced or diced pears (or pear jam or compote) and bake, serve with crackers

One last thing – we’re hoping that all of you receiving this newsletter want to be on our distribution list.

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