Ian's Challenge - January Dessert

When I began thinking about how I was going to approach this dare of creating a dessert based on one of my paintings, my first instinct was to take a liberal approach. Cutting out shapes of the fruit I would use. I would construct a visual representation of the piece. Then I thought better and decided on a different approach. I thought about the color and the cool calming affect the piece projected. It was contemplative. As I focused more intently on the painting, new forms would emerge. Squares, rectangles, larger circles from smaller ones, a visual playground for the eyes to meander through. From the darker blues, I was reminded of blackberries and blueberries. The lighter colors in the piece referenced smooth, soft textures I could taste heavy cream, Mascarpone or whipped cream cheese with vanilla, lemon and sugar. The muted reds and browns inferred spices, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. The blue greens, brought to mind cucumbers and Honey Dew. I was suddenly transported to the flavors of summer. Perhaps trying to fend off the cold days we have had to endure this winter.

Looking forward to a warmer place. So here’s what I narrowed down my fruits and flavors to. For the bottom layer I chose to make a blueberry coulis. Placed on top would be a rectangle of "New York Style" Cheesecake topped with halved blackberries. Adjacent to the cheesecake, would be layers of melon and mango. In addition, would be demi-spheres of lemonade agar. And finished with a mound of ginger snap crumb.