rainbows are all around me. oh, i love them.
mmm. you sexy thing.
this picture could have been pink...if i could relax with the watermelon. but i never want to stop.
More, bring me more!
focus, i must.
RAIIIIINBOWS
and wait. fruit nut loaf too.
it's rainbow-ish right?
it's a heavy loaf of goodness, a loaf to squash all others!
the cast of characters: dried apricots, dried figs, dates, prunes, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds. and only a small bit of brown sugar flecked batter to hold them all together.
it might be the best thing to happen to a cheeseboard since the invention of brie.
so brie should certainly be next to it. or goat cheese. or any cheese. maybe some rosemary and honey.
sliced super thin with a sharp serrated knife, every slice is major art. stained glass mosaic art.
seriously. so so good.
Fruit Nut Loaf
adapted from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dried whole apricots
1/2 cup dried prunes
1/2 cup dried figs, halved
1 cup moist dates, quartered
1 cup walnut halves
1 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup almonds
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract or emulsion
preheat oven to 300. line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
in a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. add the brown sugar, all the dried fruit and nuts, and mix thoroughly with your fingertips. set aside.
in a small bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla extract and almond extract. pour egg mixture over the fruit and nut mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon until all the fruits and nuts are coated with the batter. scrape into the prepared loaf pan.
bake until the top is deep golden brown and the batter clinging to the fruit seems set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. if the top appears to be browning too much, tent it with a piece of aluminum foil. cool completely in the pan on a rack.
when completely cool, remove the cake from the pan. it will keep wrapped airtight in plastic, for over a week or can be kept fresh for weeks in the refrigerator. and it also freezes beautifully. to serve, cut into thin slices with a sharp serrated knife.