Pear perfection

I especially love fall for the abundance of pears that are available.  This year, my nephew Joel and his wife Chandra gifted us with a wonderful array of them (they managed to snare them from their tree before the un-neighbourly neighbours did so!).

They ripened on our windowsill until they reached the peak of perfection...

 and then they were cored and cooked

and pureed,

and cooked some more with spices and caramelized sugar on low heat,

until they were at the perfect consistency for Caramelized Pear Butter (thanks for that recipe, Chandra - it is marvellous).

As always, these kitchen forays make me pay close attention to colour, and I think the range from raw, unripened fruit through to the completed butter makes a fabulous colour combination for a painting.

If you're interested in how else you might choose colours for your next project (be it quilting, decorating, painting or architecture!), you might want to check out the Colour Boot Camp classes upcoming in Cranbrook at the College of the Rockies.  You can view more information in the sidebar on the right;  participants at this class will also receive a unique opportunity related to upcoming studio classes, too.