Bad Weekend, Great Bag (And a Recipe for Pear Sorbet)

Customer Lisa K. wrote in to tell us about her 2006 Labor Day weekend, and also included an amazing recipe for Pear Sorbet.

"I think I've finally recovered from my rather bizarre Labour Day weekend, enough to report on how great the Medium Cafe Shoulder bag is. I'm not going to go into the details about the fire I put out, after someone dropped a cigarette into the cedar chip mulch in front of the Shelbourne Plaza -- or the unexpected two-mile hike when I missed my bus to the Saanich Fair -- or what the bank said about the paycheque I tried to deposit just before the long weekend, since they didn't involve the bag at all. I can't even use the title "A Series of Unfortunate Events", because apparently it's already taken.

(Click through for the rest of the story.)

Suffice it to say that when I discovered that the jar of fireweed honey I'd bought at the Moss Street Market had come open in my Tom Bihn bag, I was pretty well resigned to a bad situation getting worse. But after I got home, I was amazed to find that the bag, after more than two years of winter rains and trips through the washing machine, had retained almost all the honey. The superior quality of the cloth and the stitching meant that I was able to pour the honey into a stockpot, saving not just my hard-earned cash but the work of countless bees! I ended up boiling the honey in some water, and making pear sorbet with it, so the weekend immediately got better. Even after the clothesline snapped, dumping my laundry into the yard next door, the weekend seemed a little brighter. (The bag survived and is as good as new -- and "the label" still delights my friends and co-workers.)

I am including the recipe, which is bound to be better if you get the honey out of a jar, rather than a shoulder bag."

Cheers,
Lisa K.
Victoria, B.C., Canada

Honey and Pear Sorbet

In a large pot, heat 1 cup of honey and 1 cup of water to boiling point. (You can also substitute organic sugar -- make sure the crystals are dissolved in the boiling water.) Let simmer for 10 minutes, then set out to cool.

Peel and core 4 or 5 ripe Bartlett pears, and put in blender. Liquefy -- there should be about 4 cups in total. Pour in the cooled syrup, and blend until smooth.

You could use an ice-cream maker for the next step, but it seems to work just as well without. Put the mixture into a large bowl or pan, and place in the freezer. After 3-4 hours, it should be getting slushy. Mash it up with a fork or a pastry blender, and return it to the freezer. Repeat a couple of more times, an hour or two later each time (to break up the ice crystals). Store in a covered container.

Serve in chilled glasses or bowls -- makes 8-10 servings.