More Wonderful Gifts From Julie

Tonight, I made this lovely Berry-Lemon Loaf which tastes quite scrumptious I must say. I know the other day I said I was front-loading the calories, and I am, but I couldn't make this beautiful loaf without just trying it a little. Don't worry, I'll eat it in the morning tomorrow, and also Wednesday, and I plan to share some with friends if they come to visit. That way - it gets more wear. It turned out so lovely, that I thought I'd share the recipe with you (plus I promised Michelle I would) The recipe come's out of - my friend - Julie Van Rosendaal's book "Starting Out - The Essential Guide to Cooking on Your Own" on page 242. Here's the recipe...

1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine, softened
1 Cup Sugar
Grated Zest of 1-2 Lemons
2 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Milk
1 1/2 Cups Fresh or Frozen (unthawed) Blackberries, Raspberries, or Blueberries

Glaze:
3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Confectioners' Sugar


"This is a great way to use berries when they're in season, but the loaf tastes just as good with frozen berries. Make sure you keep the berries frozen right up until you add them to prevent their juice streaking through your batter and turning it blue. Some cooks toss their berries with a bit of flour first (use some from the recipe rather than adding more) to help absorb any excess juice. Leave the berries out completely for a plain lemon loaf." (Julie's words - not mine)

Method:
1 - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Spray an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2 - In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer for about a minute, until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3 - If you want, toss the berries with about a tablespoon of the flour to prevent them from releasing their juices into the batter and turning it blue. put them back into the freezer until it's time to use them. in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir by hand just until it's combined. Add half the milk in the same manner. Add another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the milk, and the rest of the flour mixture, along with the berries. Stir by hand just until your batter is blended.
4 - Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until it's cracked and golden and the top is springy to the touch. Poke the top of the loaf all over with a bamboo skewer or toothpick. Stir together the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar and brush or drizzle over the loaf while it's still warm. I like to brush half over the top, let it soak in, then brush on the rest. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Makes 1 loaf

And that - my friends - word for word - is Julie's fantastic recipe for Berry-Lemon Loaf. I am dead impressed with how it turned out. I mean - well the berries all sunk to the bottom, but other than that - it turned out perfect. I'm sure Julie has some magical way of keeping them from falling to the bottom, or maybe I didn't stir it quite enough. Meh, it still tastes fantastic. Tomorrow, I may make Choclava. This is the best part about having my own kitchen, and having a lot of time on my hands. Hopefully I won't have a lot of time on my hands for too much longer though. :-/