Robbie Bell, artist
Gardener, chef, musician and potter all describe Robbie Bell of Speckled Dog Pottery. His summer and fall gardens are profusely productive, and the tables he sets for meals shared with friends are equally abundant and visually inviting.
Known for cooking and catering, Bell understands food preparation and presentation. He also recognizes that the joy of cooking involves having not only the right ingredients but the right tools for the process. And he believes that the joy of eating is enhanced by placing food on beautiful handmade dishes. “Being able to create the perfect recipe for a handmade pot or creating a pot for a particular recipe is what makes my process fun and interesting,” he says.
Speckled Dog Pottery specializes in functional ceramics with cooking and dining in mind. Bell makes ceramic bowls that are colander-like and the perfect size and color for washing blueberries or other fruits. He creates lidded jars to hold garlic, platters for arrangements of cheeses and stands to proudly display cakes or tarts. He has small baking dishes for casseroles or desserts, cups for soup and cups for coffee, bowls of many sizes for garden salads and vases for cut flowers. His pieces, made of white stoneware and fired to 2100°F in an electric kiln, are safe for oven and dishwasher.
Mica Gallery shows the work of Bell along with other potters who make functional and decorative wares. Visit the gallery through December for your own home needs or gifts for the homes of others. At Mica, you will find ceramic works by Pam Brewer, Susan Feagin, Bridget Fox, Lisa Joerling, Teresa Pietsch, Melanie Risch, David Ross, Liz Sparks and Julie Wiggins.
Mica is an artist-run gallery of fine art and contemporary craft. Hours through December are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12-5 p.m. on Sunday (closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year’s Eve). Follow the gallery on Facebook (Mica Gallery NC) or on Instagram @micagallerync.
Robbie Bell’s Baked Apple Custard
Filling
4 NC cooking apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1-1/2 sticks butter, divided
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
Topping
3 tbsp. softened butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
In a large skillet, melt 1 stick of butter, and add apples. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Cook apples until tender.
In a bowl, cream 1/2 stick softened butter with 1-1/2 cups sugar until creamy. Add 4 eggs, one at a time. Add 2 tbsp. flour and 1 tsp. vanilla. Blend until smooth, and add 3/4 cup buttermilk.
Butter a deep baking dish. Add apples to the bottom and pour buttermilk custard over the apples. Heat oven to 300°F and place baking dish in oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
Make a crumble of 3 tbsp. softened butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Sprinkle crumble on top of custard and bake for another 40 minutes.
Let stand 1 hour before serving with freshly whipped cream.
