Walnut-Strawberry Quick Bread

All yesterday I was extremely anxious to find out if Brent was going to make it to the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica in time for his flight. Of course the only way I would find out, was to wait until his plane was scheduled to land in Miami, FL @ 7pm EST. After leaving lab, I needed something to pass the little amount of time remaining, and this bread was my relief. It was easy and quick to make, and had a crunchy crust on the edges while remaining soft and moist on the inside. Bonus? It came out of the oven minutes after confirmation that Brent was back in the States. Then all I had to do was enjoy a slice or three (whoops), and go downtown for Martini night with friends until his plane landed in Memphis, TN @ 10pm CST. Pretty good night if I may say so myself.

Also, call me crazy but I feel like this would be great warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. That may need to happen tonight.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 eggs, at room temperature

1-1/4 cups mashed strawberries

1/2 cup canola oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan.
2. Combine the lemon zest and sugar in a medium bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar is fragrant and has a texture similar to wet sand. Add the walnuts, flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg to the bowl then whisk to combine.
3. In a large measuring cup whisk the eggs, mashed strawberries and oil until blended. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top of the loaf is browning more than you’d like, you can tent with foil (I tented mine for the last 15 minutes).
5. Remove the pan to a wire rack. Let the bread cool in the pan.

Source: Tracey’s Culinary Adventures