Summer in April
Things went back to normal today, but for nearly a week, it was in the 80s, hardly normal for a New England spring.
Monday was one of my favorite holidays. Patriot’s Day, while significant to the entire United States, is celebrated only in Massachusetts and Maine, which was part of Massachusetts back when there were thirteen colonies. Patriot’s Day marks the beginning of the American Revolution. The actual date was April 19th 1775. The night before was when Paul Revere’s famous ride took place. Now it’s celebrated on the third Monday of April.
Here in Lexington, where I live, we celebrate in full force. I usually take the day off, and this year was no exception. The day starts with a early morning reenactment of the original skirmish. On the Lexington Green, Minuteman wait for the Redcoats (officially known as British Regulars) as they march up the main street on their way from Boston to Concord, where they planned to confiscate the militia’s store of weapons and ammunition. Later in the morning is a 5K road race, which I watch from in front of my house, vowing to be a runner “next year”. (At the same time, the better known Boston Marathon is being run in the city.)
To me, the best part of the day is in the afternoon: there’s a good old-fashioned parade. The day was a scorcher, temperatures up near 90 degrees. I walked the mile or so into the center of town because there isn’t any close parking because of all the road closures for the festivities. I made the right judgment call and went alone, leaving Bella, with her heavy fur coat, at home. It would have been too hot for her.
There are lots of Minutemen, the high school marching band, local officials, and civic groups marching. There are a few floats and civic award winners riding in top-down convertibles. To celebrate last year’s Stanley Cup win, even the head coach of the Boston Bruins, Claude Julien, and his family, who live here in town, were part of the parade. The crowd is enthusiastic and it’s fun to watch. The two highlights of this year’s parade were the L.L. Bean Bootmobile and a group of impressive military equipment from the Massachusetts Military History Museum.
The Bootmobile was especially amusing! It’s large pickup truck shaped like the famous L.L. Bean hunting boot. Apparently, L.L. Bean named Lexington the Beanest Town in America. That means we spend the most per household at L.L. Bean than anywhere else in the country. I don’t know whether we should feel proud or embarrassed. In any case, we were honored with the boot in our parade. What fun!
A refreshing cocktail was the perfect ending to the day. Inspired by Christy at Confessions of a Culinary Diva, I tried her recipe for Meyer Lemon Aide. Fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon juice mixed with gin and a rosemary-bay infused simple syrup was a great pick-me-up. I highly recommend it. And cheers to you, Christy!
The recent summer preview has passed, and spring is back for a while. I’ll take it.
Tuesdays with Dorie: Lemon Loaf Cakes
At my house, we don’t have good dessert compatibility. My preferences lean toward simple cakes and fruit desserts, likes crisps and tarts. My husband likes chocolate, period (well, for the most part). A lemon loaf cake is right up my alley, even though I didn’t really have anyone at home to share it with.
I could not believe how easy it was to put together this cake. No mixer required. The fanciest pieces of equipment required were a sifter and a zester, hardly exotic. Thinking I would freeze some of the cake (because I didn’t want to eat the whole cake on my own), I made three mini loaves instead of one big one. They only needed to bake for 40 minutes.
I had Meyer lemons on hand, so I used those. I always enjoy their floral undertones. Meyer lemons are a cross between lemons and Mandarin oranges, so it’s softer than the usual tart lemon.
The little cakes baked with high crowns. I’m not sure that is what should have happened, but the end result was delicious. The cake had a light crumb, and it was moist, not at all dry.
I often see recipes for cakes doused with simple syrup. This cake sounded like the right palette for that sort of embellishment. I had three little cakes to play with. I left one plain. I made a lemon syrup with the juice of my zested lemons for another cake. I made a rosemary syrup for the last one.
I liked the syrup-doused cakes even more than the plain one. I poked holes in the cake with a toothpick before liberally brushing the syrup over the cake. Unfortunately, the syrup didn’t penetrate deep into the cake. I’m wondering whether I should have used a wider, longer skewer instead a little-bitty toothpick.
Finally, I have to say that I love any excuse to use my cake dome, and these cakes cry out to spend time on the counter under glass, so that’s where they are for now.
This post is part of Tuesdays with Dorie, a new cook-along group I joined where we are working our way through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking with Julia.
You can find the recipe on the sites of this week’s hosts Truc of Treats and Michelle at The Beauty of Life . I can’t wait to see how other bloggers made out with their Lemon Loaf Cakes. You can see for yourself, by following the links here.
A Plateful of Happiness 