It's unbelievable how fast this month has already gone like an autumnal leaf falling from the tree. October, with its raw beauty, gentleness, and fruitfulness, has jumped into my box of memories almost unnoticeably. Life is brief, life is quick, life is sweet... and the older I get, the briefer and sweeter life seems to me. 
While strolling at the farmer's market the other day, I found myself drawn to a large display of pears. Someone had arranged piles of shiny yellowish Bartletts next to a wooden crate of egg-shaped green and almost red Anjous, and placed bags of elegant golden Bosc nearby. I didn't need time to decide which ones to buy as I always prefer those naturally beautiful cinnamon-brown colored, rough textured Bosc which russeting makes them perfect not only for eating and baking but for earthy autumnal decoration as well. My mouth watered as I was storing my rustic pears into the basket. I caught a thought crossing my mind. The sweet pear is the ripe pear, isn't it? And the pear, unlike the apple, doesn't ripen on the tree. The fruit is harvested when it is mature, but not yet ripe. Once the pear is picked, it needs time and patience for its sugars to develop; it slowly reaches a sweet and succulent flavor as it ripens from the inside out. Isn't our life similar to the life of the pear? We grow while we are close to our roots, but we become truly independent as we detach from "the tree" and take our own paths. We mature and get wiser as we get older, but we realize the sweetness of life only with time and patience as we evolve from inside out. When we become in tune with our inner authentic selves, we are more aware and attentive as we notice and savor the sublime in the most ordinary moments. Life, then, seems brief and quick, yet sweeter, juicier and flavourful...

What do you like best about pears? 





 Pear Puff-Pastry Galette


Ingredients:

1 sheet of defrosted puff pastry
2 pears, thinly sliced
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. ground pecans


 Directions:

 Preheat oven to 375° F. Unroll the puff pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
In a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, ginger, vanilla and cinnamon and mix well. Generously brush the top of the puff pastry with the butter mixture. Mound the pear slices in the center of the pastry, leaving 2-inch (5cm) border all the way around. Pull the pastry border up and over the outer edge of the pears, leaving the pears at the center bare and pleating pastry as you pull it up. Brush the top of the pears and the pastry with the remaining butter mixture and sprinkle with ground pecan. Bake in center of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the pears are tender. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. 


Enjoy and share with someone you love.