Plenty Epicurean Pantry

Three Pears

We are very pleased to feature several paintings by Shelley Davies in the storefront this month.  Three Pears (image above) evokes in me a sense of the crisp, clear Fall air and of the wonderful ripening fruit to be found now in yards all around Victoria.

It reminds me to mention that if you have fruit that may go unpicked this season please contact the Lifecycles Fruit Tree Project to invite them to harvest it for you. They’ll set aside a quarter of the fruit for you, a quarter for the volunteers who pick it, a quarter for the food bank, and a quarter of the fruit goes into wonderful products that help support the Project.  We have some Apple Pie Gelato in-stock that was produced by Salt Spring Gelato with Fruit Tree Project apples.  We also carry an apple cider vinegar produced by Spinnakers Gastro Brew Pub in support of the Project.  I wish that we could carry the incredible Kings & Spies sparkling cider that Sea Cider produces with Fruit Tree Project apples.  The Salt Spring Island Apple Festival is coming up on Sunday, October 3rd.

Shelley Davies is a painter and illustrator, as well as a recent addition to Victoria.  She began her career in Toronto in the animation industry, making children’s short films, commercials and feature-length films. From there, she worked as a scenic artist on the vast canvases of feature films, television and theatre. A move to Europe and motherhood ensued. Searching for the best place on the planet to bring up two children, Victoria beckoned. She has been painting small still-lifes, with Manet’s ’Asparagus’ as inspiration (circa 1880, perhaps the beginning of modern painting?).  Shelley is currently illustrating children’s books, creating very handmade images of whimsy and delight. Her work is featured in The Globe and Mail.

To view more of Shelley’s paintings and illustrations, go to www.shelleybean.artspan.com.

Here is a wonderful pear recipe that Shelley picked-up in France:

Pear Clafoutis

• 3 large pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/6ths
• 5 Tbs honey
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 2 oz sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/4 oz unsalted butter, melted

1. Butter and flour a flan pan.
2. Arrange pears in pan.
3. Drizzle with honey.
4. Separate 3 eggs.
5. Mix flour, salt and all but 1 Tbs sugar
6. Whisk in egg yolks plus one whole egg and milk
7. Add dry ingredients
8. Quickly add melted butter
9. Whisk egg whites and a pinch of sugar until foamy
10. Add 1 Tbs sugar and whisk to soft peaks
11. Fold egg whites into batter and pour over pears
12. Bake at 400F until done….30 mins?