Fruity Friday

So this is a bit of a belated post but I had a very eventful weekend so you'll just have to excuse me. For the second week in a row, I made a fruit inspired dessert. Generally I'm not one for fresh, juicy, oozing pieces of sweetness, but seeing them at the store on the shelves with stickers that say 2 for 4 (pounds that is) makes them irresistible. After having fruit ripened into mush almost instantaneously on the island, it's nice being able to store produce for longer than a day on the counter or table. Especially when there's not that much room in the fridge or freezer.

I fairly certain that when I get settled down in the future, I will NEED a full fridge and freezer. There is absolutely no way I'll be able to deal with any sort of food storage contraption that isn't higher than I am tall and twice as wide as me. For someone who cooks as stress relief, I need space for everything before I dole it out and feed everyone around me. It's at the point now where I'm seriously considering taking a look into the mini fridge in the breast clinic and using that to store my goodies before friday when I bring them in.

Yeah, yeah. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Don't judge a girl just because she wants more kitchen space. It's perfectly reasonable.

In any case, this Friday was better than last week. The morning was a little sad but the afternoon wasn't so bad. And then Mike and I practiced some clinical cases. They might not be entirely realistic but for history taking, catching all of those small little details you don't always think about and going through the basics of doing a physical, it's quite useful. I think the most useful part for me is just thinking of differentials and diagnostic tests. While eliciting histories has gotten easier, I still find it difficult to think of a slew of different possible diagnoses on the fly. I know that it's tucked away in my brain somewhere but I suppose it's something that comes with practice.

So today's recipe has some added benefits. Not only are anthocyanins neuroprotective but they have anti-oxidant properties. Lab based studies on dark berries have shown some positive correlation between the ingestion of berries and the health effects on aging, inflammation, bacterial infections and even cancer. So toss in a few more berries, dust the top with a bit of sugar and have a slice for breakfast.

Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Glaze

Cake

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)
1 cup (240 ml) fresh blueberries
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered (icing) sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

In a large bowl or mixer, cream together the butter and white sugar. When lighter in color and creamy, add the eggs one at a time. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and alternately add the flour mixture and milk/vanilla in 3 batches. Toss in the blueberries with the last addition of flour and mix gently to distribute the berries. If you use frozen, you can take them straight out of the freezer and add them into the batter. It doesn't make a difference to the recipe.

Pour the batter into a lined 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes at 180 C (350 F) checking at 45 minutes or so depending upon your oven. (I know I've been stressing it more recently but different ovens work at different temperatures and sometimes have hot spots which require rotation during baking. But you know your oven best).

While the cake is in the oven, combine all the ingredients for the glaze. When the cake is done, a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean/with a few crumbs attached. Let it cool before drizzling with the glaze. Pour half over the cake, let it set up for a few minutes before pouring the rest over the top.

Lemony, fresh, definitely the perfect slice of heaven on a busy Friday morning.

I must say that one of the most uplifting events of the day wasn't even medically related. It was just the camaraderie of the entire team and the way they joke around and tease each other. At the end of the day, despite occasional name calling and stealing slices of cake, it's obvious even to an outsider the ability of everyone to work together.

Except in the case of cake... As you will see from the following message written on the foil covering this week's cake, it's supposed to be Fabio's Cake and at the dire threat of a skull and crossbones, "DO NOT TOUCH."

Unfortunately, the message was tossed to the side, cake was sliced into and it was definitely touched. Although in retrospect, everyone did work together.... against Fabio to eat cake. :)