Lemon Crumble Loaf

This week the builders got good old chocolate chip cookies (which my husband tells me have been the most popular piece of baking yet – these are real kiwi favourites!) and this lemon crumble loaf. The loaf was very easy to make ( as are most loaves). It is simply a plain loaf with the addition of lemon juice to the batter and a crumble on top of flaked almonds and lemon zest. Like any loaf it is versatile and could double as pudding if served warm with a big dollop of cream on the side. I adapted the recipe from one I ripped from an Australian Womens Weekly some time ago.



The days are definitely heating up – in fact my summer tan is coming on already! So, we are definitely into bbq season. Last night I marinated some free range boneless chicken thighs which my husband bbqed. I much prefer thighs to breast as even though they don’t look so uniform and pretty, they are so much more flavoursome. I often find chicken breast quite bland. To go with the chicken breasts I made this beetroot, blue cheese, walnut and rocket salad. I love beetroot!! I remember as a child Dad preserving beetroot. He cut it into thick wedges, which I know I would love now, but at the time all I wanted was the thin stuff out of a can! I also remember the beetroot stains which seemed to cover everything – the stove, the wall…… Dad reads my blog, so I bet I get an indignant phone call from him saying that never happened - but it did! I love roasted beetroot, but it does take a long time to cook. I often steam it in the microwave first to soften it a bit and then roast for about half an hour to give it that lovely caramelised taste. Beetroot goes really well with walnuts and also with blue cheese. It is also very good with feta. The salad is simply those four ingredients combined and coated with a simple vinaigrette made with white wine vinegar, olive oil and Dijon mustard.



Lemon Crumble Loaf
125g butter
zest of a lemon and juice of half a lemon
¾ c sugar
2 eggs
¾ c flour
½ c self raising flour
¼ c milk

· Cream butter, zest and sugar, add in eggs one at a time
· Stir in remaining ingredients. Put in lined loaf tin and top with crumble mixture made by rubbing together 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp flour and 30 g butter and then stirring in 2 tsp lemon zest and 2 tbsp flaked almonds
Bake at 160c for 45 minutes or until the blade of a thing knife comes out clean when inserted