It was always this time of year when my Hungarian grandma would get out her big pots and fill them up with her stuffed peppers. The fragrance of sweet peppers and paprika would fill the Indiana farm kitchen. At meal time, thick slices of her homemade bread would be used to soak up extra gravy on the plate. I remember times when I would make a meal of just bread and the paprika-spiked gravy. My grandma would always shape some of the meat mixture into balls, tucking them into the pot with the stuffed peppers. My brother and I would get the flavor of the peppers in the meatballs that had simmered in the gravy, but we wouldn’t have to eat a pepper.
My mom would recreate the stuffed peppers at our home in Minnesota, hundreds of miles away from my grandma’s Indiana farm. They were always delicious, but never quite the same as those my grandma made with peppers picked from her garden.
I don’t have a garden, but I do have a farmers’ market I can visit to find beautiful fresh sweet bell peppers. I cook up a big pot of Hungarian-Style Stuffed Peppers and then freeze them in the tomato juice they were simmered in. On one of the first cool fall days, I pull a container of the peppers out of the freezer and heat them up. In another pot, I cook up lots of potatoes for mashing. There’s nothing like a big mound of mashed potatoes with a stuffed pepper and lots of the thickened gravy.
This recipe makes lots of stuffed peppers. Exactly how many depends on the size of the peppers you will use. If you have more meat mixture left after you’ve stuffed all your peppers, just form the remaining meat into balls. Roll them in flour before adding them to the pot.
After the stuffed peppers have cooked, I like to store them in the refrigerator for a day before portioning them into containers to freeze. This allows the flavors to develop. I don’t thicken the gravy until I reheat them at serving time.
The gravy is thickened with a roux flavored with lots of onions and paprika.
My grandma and my mom never measured anything when they cooked, so I just learned how things were supposed to look or feel. So, this recipe is one you’ll need to prepare Hungarian style: make, taste, adjust, taste, adjust. Be sure to use the freshest paprika you can get. If you’ve had a bottle sitting on your shelf for a year, get a new one. I like the Hungarian paprika from Penzey’s. Next month I’ll be going to Hungary, so I’ll be getting paprika right from the source.
And let me tell you, it’s hard to get a photo of Hungarian-Style Stuffed Peppers that looks beautiful. It’s a comfort meal — a big mound of mashed potatoes, green peppers that have cooked so long they fall apart in the gravy, and ground meat with rice, both cooked to perfect tenderness. It may not look beautiful, but it tastes absolutely delicious.

Hungarian-Style Stuffed Peppers
2 1/2 to 3 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
2 large onions
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
Green bell peppers
All-purpose flour
9 cups tomato juice
2 1/2 cups water

For thickening gravy:
Shortening
Chopped onions
Paprika
Flour

Put ground meats, eggs, onions, rice, salt and paprika in large bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. Wash peppers. Cut in half lengthwise. Clean out seeds and membranes.
Stuff the meat mixture into pepper halves, packing it in tightly and mounding the mixture slightly. Dip all exposed meat in flour. Place stuffed peppers in pot, meat side facing up. Pour tomato juice into pot. Add enough water so that peppers are covered. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until rice is tender and meat is cooked, at least an hour.
To thicken gravy, melt quite a bit of shortening in a small pan. Add chopped onion and cook until tender. Add paprika until the mixture is nice and red. Add flour gradually, stirring after each addition. Don’t let the mixture get too thick. Remove pepper pot from heat and stir in the thickening mixture. When the gravy is blended, put the pot back on the heat. Bring it back to a low boil, stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thickened.

For years I’ve heard wonderful things about the annual garlic festival held in Gilroy, California. I’ve got a few of the cookbooks that have resulted from that celebration of garlic. I’ve always wished I could attend. So, when I met Jerry Ford of Howard Lake, Minn. last spring at a conference and he told me about the Minnesota Garlic Festival, I put it on my calendar. Taking in a garlic festival that close to home was doable.

The third annual Minnesota Garlic Festival was held on Saturday, August 16th at the Wright County Fairgrounds. This family-friendly event promoting gourmet garlic farming in Minnesota, had something for everyone — local foods, chefs, music, artisans, games, competitions, and lots of garlic – all in support of a healthy environment, sustainable farms and vital rural communities in Minnesota.

Well-known and highly respected Twin Cities chefs volunteered to leave their restaurants for the day to provide cooking demonstrations and to cook in the Festivals own restaurant, The Great Scape Cafe, featuring local foods, all prepared with a bit of garlic, of course. I wound up spending six sunshiny hours at the festival, enjoying the entertainment, the chef demonstrations and the food. Lucia Watson, of Lucia’s Wine Bar/Cafe in Minneapolis is pictured at right. She demonstrated preparation of a summer corn skillet.

One of the guest chefs, Phillip Becht, from the Modern Cafe in Northeast Minneapolis, showed how to roast garlic in milk, resulting in creamy sweet garlic and garlic-infused milk, both to be used in delicious ways. Becht says the milk pulls any bitterness and sharpness from the garlic as it roasts.

The individual custards are very satisfying served with brunch. They’re a perfect go-along with grilled steaks. Tomatoes are delicious with the warm corn custard. They can be served in the little custard cups or ramekins that they’re baked in, or they can easily be turned out of the cups to be served over fresh tomato slices or field greens.
The custards are baked in a water bath, promoting an even bake and creamy custard. I like to place the filled ramekins in the baking pan, place the pan in the preheated oven and then pour the hot water into the pan. Be careful when removing the pan from the oven. You don’t want any of the hot water to splash around and wind up on your skin. Ouch.
Put your own twist on these corn custards by adding some of your favorite fresh herbs. Use any kind of cheese that you like. I fashioned these custards after a cheesy corn bake that I like.
You’ll need to prepare the Milk-Roasted Garlic first. I stored the garlic-infused milk in the refrigerator for a few days before using it. The bulbs of roasted garlic can be stored in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag until you’re ready to use them. I used some of the roasted garlic to smear under the skin of chicken breasts.
You’ll come up with all kinds of ways to incorporate the sweet roasted garlic and the garlic-flavored milk. And all garlic-lovers in your neighborhood will be following their nose to your kitchen.

Cheesy Sweet Corn Custards

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 to 5 ears)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 4 ounces shredded Pepper Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cups milk from Milk-Roasted Garlic
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 6 (6- to 7-ounce) glass custard cups or ramekins with non-stick cooking spray.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper. Saute for about 3 minutes, until vegetables are tender-soft but not brown. Add corn kernels and saute until corn is heated through.
In a medium bowl, blend milk, eggs, egg yolk, salt and pepper. Stir in sauteed vegetables. Divide the egg and vegetable evenly among prepared custard cups. Place the custard cups in a 13- x 9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle cheese over egg mixture, dividing evenly among the custard cups. Pour hot water into the pan to a depth of one inch.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. The tip of a sharp knife inserted into the middle of custard will come out clean. Remove cups from the pan of water and cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. At this point the custards can be released from their cups and inverted onto serving plates. Makes 6 servings.

Note: If you don’t have quite enough garlic-infused milk, just add some regular milk until you get 1 1/2 cups.

P.S. (Added 8-25-08) Yesterday I took a few of the baked Cheesy Sweet Corn Custards out of the refrigerator. I had stored them in their ramekins, tightly covered. I removed the plastic wrap and placed the custards in the microwave, covering them loosely with a paper towel. It didn’t take long to heat them up in the microwave oven at 60% power. They were still creamy and delicious.

Milk-Roasted Garlic

• 3 or more large heads of garlic
• Whole milk
• Fresh herbs of choice plus a dried bay leaf
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pull away any of the loose papery skin around the outside of the garlic bulb. Using a sharp knife, cut off the top of each bulb, exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic bulbs, cut side down, in an oven-safe skillet. Pour milk into the pan until it comes half way up the sides of the garlic. Add a few sprigs of fresh herbs and a bay leaf. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top of the garlic and milk. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pan in preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour. Garlic should be very tender. Allow garlic to cool in the milk until it is room temperature. Squeeze cooled garlic into a small bowl. Pour garlic-infused milk in a glass bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator for another use.

Oh, fudge –it’s a brownie in a mug. Yay!
When I visited by phone with Gloria Hander Lyons, author of "Easy Microwave Desserts in a Mug," she confessed to being a lover of all things called dessert. I could relate.
When you love desserts and you find yourself at home alone for days at a time, having a whole cake sitting on the kitchen counter can be way too tempting. At least, that’s what Lyons found to be true. So, rather than being tempted by a whole cake or a whole pan of brownies, she took matters into her own hands and developed single-serving sized desserts.
Lyons developed little mixes that she could tuck away in the pantry or freezer, ready to pull out and prepare to satisfy her sweet tooth in just five minutes.
The brownie recipe in her cookbook, which holds over 80 recipes that can be prepared, cooked and served in the same mug in five minutes or less, is one of her favorites. I had to give it a try.
Although I rarely, if ever, use my microwave oven for cooking, I started mixing up the dry ingredients, anticipating a warm brownie that I would eat with whipped cream and fresh raspberries I had picked up at the farmers’ market.
It took just minutes for me to mix the dry ingredients that would supply just enough for one brownie. Sugar, flour, unsweetened cocoa and baking powder were basic ingredients that went into the mix. To avoid the need for fresh eggs, Lyons uses egg white powder, also called meringue powder, in the mix. People who live alone don’t always have fresh eggs on hand. I found meringue powder in the cake decorating area of the Ben Franklin store downtown Bemidji. Lyons claims large well-stocked grocery stores carry egg white powder in the baking aisle.
The author lists vanilla powder as an optional ingredient. Vanilla Powder is
produced by grinding whole dried vanilla beans until powdery. It can be found in
some specialty grocery stores and by mail order. I often order from The Spice House, and they do carry a quality vanilla powder.I had a little bag of vanilla powder that I purchased when I was in Seattle and I had only used it once. I added it to the brownie mix.
Once the dry ingredients are mixed together, it only needs a little butter and water at the time your sweet tooth starts whining.
Two minutes at 60% power in the microwave oven and two minutes of resting time and it’s ready for a dollop of whipped cream or a big scoop of ice cream and maybe some fresh raspberries.
Dip your spoon into the warm brownie in a mug, pull out a chocolaty, fudgy, oh, so delicious bite of brownie. Keep eating until the mug is empty. If your sweet tooth isn’t quite satisfied, just mix up another single serving brownie. It’s so easy. Almost too easy, if you know what I mean.

Chocolate Brownie Mix

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons egg white powder
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• Dash of salt

Blend ingredients together and place in a small zipper-type bag if using at a later date or giving as a gift.
To prepare: Microwave 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in 12-ounce mug until melted (about 20 seconds on high power). Empty brownie mix into mug and add 2 tablespoons water; stir with a fork until blended. Microwave on 60% power for 2 minutes. Let stand in oven 2 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to eat.
From "Easy Microwave Desserts in a Mug," by Gloria Hander Lyons. Purchase the book at www.bluesagepress.com.

Listen to my phone visit with Gloria Hander Lyons by clicking here and then scroll down and click on  Listen to Sue’s interview…

Every time I use phyllo dough, I think of my grandma’s apple strudel. She would mix a special dough and let it rest while she prepared her workspace. She would cover the kitchen table with one of the white bed sheets from the drawer. I remember it being very white and pressed (My grandma ironed all the sheets.), causing the creases to create little speed bumps on the table. When she was satisfied the table was completely covered and the sheet was as smooth as could be, she sprinkled it with flour. Then she placed the big ball of strudel dough on the sheet. I think I remember her starting with a rolling pin on the dough.Once it was one even layer, she would take the back of her hands and start pulling and stretching the dough, walking around the table as she went. Soon the dough would be hanging over the sides of the table, but it never tore. When she was done stretching the dough, it would be so thin, I would see her hand right through the dough.
She’d use goose feathers that she’d bundled together to brush the dough with butter. Then generous amounts of peeled and sliced apples and raisins and sugar and cinnamon would go on top of the dough. Then, my Hungarian grandma would pick up one edge of the sheet and bring it up to start rolling the dough up and over and then transferring it to a baking sheet. It really was the best apple strudel I’ve ever eaten.
These days we can enjoy the same thin, flaky layers of dough without all that work. It’s called phyllo or fillo dough and is most often found in the freezer case at the grocery store. The kind I have available to me comes in a one-pound box with two 8-ounce packs inside. it’s best to keep the dough frozen until you know you will be using it. Once it has been thawed, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.
It is this same kind of dough that is layered to make Greek baklava, honey sweetened ground nuts stacked with sheets of phyllo dough. But the dough can also become savory treats.
I decided to use Spinach and Feta filling to make triangle-shaped appetizers that I would serve to company I would be having during the week. The trickiest thing about using phyllo dough is that because the dough is so thin, it dries out quickly. It’s important to keep the sheets covered with a slightly damp towel. This will keep the dough easy to work with.
As I began making the filling for the appetizers, I remembered some triangles I had earlier this summer at STUDIO e in Fargo. Emily Williams-Wheeler offers Women of Wisdom classes at her art studio. I’m definitely not an artist, but her class brings out a bit of artist in each woman who attends. Our class began with food and wine. The delicious finger foods she had prepared for us included something sweet — little triangle-shaped pillows plump with a chocolate-hazelnut filling. Each was topped with a sugared fresh mint leaf. They were so pretty and indulgently good. Emily shared the recipe with me and said I could share it with all of you. Those pretty mint leaves on each fried wonton triangle inspired me to add fresh basil and fresh mint leaves to my Spinach-Feta Triangles. I took the photo below of those sweet treats Emily made. See recipe below for Emily’s Chocolate-Hazelnut Wontons.
To carry out Emily’s idea, I placed a fresh leaf of basil on the last fold of each phyllo-dough triangle. Once baked, they didn’t show up very well. But if you look close, you can just barely see a glimpse of the dark green leaves peeking through the layers of phyllo dough.
Spinach and Feta Phyllo Triangles can be stored in the freezer for baking at a later time. When company comes, just pop them right from the freezer into the oven and you’ll have warm appetizers that can be eaten out-of-hand.

Spinach and Feta Phyllo Triangles

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1 egg
• 1 (16-ounce) box phyllo dough, thawed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• Fresh basil or mint leaves for garnish

Drain thawed spinach. Use a potato ricer to squeeze all the
moisture from the drained spinach or roll up spinach in layers of paper towels
and squeeze dry.

Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add
onion. Saute until chopped onion just begins to turn brown, about 5 or 6
minutes. Add spinach and garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in basil,
parsley and wine. Cook until wine has evaporated. Transfer to a large mixing
bowl to cool.

When spinach mixture has reached room temperature, add feta,
Parmesan and pine nuts and stir to mix. Add egg and blend well.

Lightly oil two large baking sheets or line them with
parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Unroll the phyllo dough and lay out on work surface. Cover with a slightly
dampened kitchen towel. Take one sheet of dough and brush the top lightly with melted butter. Repeat with two more sheets of dough, ending up with three layers of dough, each one brushed with butter. Starting at short end, use pizza cutter to cut dough into 3 strips. Place 1 teaspoon of filling at bottom of each strip, placed 1/2-inch above the bottom
corner. Fold into a triangle shape and repeat as though folding into a flag.
When you get to the last fold, tuck a fresh basil leaf in. Repeat with each strip. Arrange triangles seam side down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment
paper. Lightly brush triangles with melted butter and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until
golden brown. Cool slightly and transfer to a serving platter. Freeze leftover
phyllo dough for other uses. Makes 2 to 3 dozen triangles.

Tip: Toast pine nuts by stirring them in a large skillet over
medium heat until brown. Immediately transfer from hot pan onto a plate to
cool.

STUDIO e Chocolate-Hazelnut Wontons

• 16 wonton wrappers
• 1 egg, beaten to blend
• 1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 16 fresh mint leaves
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Granulated sugar, for dredging
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press th edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the triangle on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees.
Working in batches, carefully add the triangles to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked wonton triangles to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375-degree oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.
Sray the top side of the mint leaves very lightly with nonstick spray. Working with one leaf at a time, dredge the coated side of the leaves in sugar to coat lightly.
Arrange 2 fried ravioli on each plate. Dust the ravioli with powdered sugar. Garnish with the sugared mint leaves and serve.
Emily’s hint: This recipe usually makes more than just 16 wontons. I continue to make the wontons until the entire jar of Nutella is used up.

There are some summer evenings when I want no more than one pot to wash after preparing dinner. That often means dinner will be a stir-fry.

The other night I decided to use some scraps of fresh produce hiding in the vegetable drawer of my refrigerator. And I was anxious to try some of the multi-colored vegetable orzo that I’d picked up in the bulk bins at my local food co-op. Little rice-shaped pasta in orange, red and green. The color comes from the juice of carrots, tomatoes and spinach.

While the orzo was bouncing around in a pot of boiling water, I removed sweet young fresh peas from their green jackets, chopped up some leftover pieces of red, yellow and green peppers and chopped up an onion. In no time at all I had a great dish to go along with grilled chicken breasts.

I was a little disappointed with the washed-out color the orzo became as it cooked. But it still added a hint of color, creating a subtle background for the bright vegetables.

That bottle of sake I opened to use in the stir-fried udon noodles (posted on this blog 7-27-08) came out of the refrigerator again. It went into the finishing sauce that adds distinct Asian flavor to the dish. If you don’t have sake, use rice vinegar.

Well, I guess I had two pots to wash — the orzo pot and my small stove-top wok, which by the way, comes in very handy. It’s just the right size when cooking for two and it’s so easy to clean. One taste of stir-fried orzo and vegetables made that extra dirty pasta pot so worth it. Stir-Fried Orzo with Vegetables is beautiful and healhtful with lots of color and texture and little fat. And it’s delicious.

Stir-Fried Orzo with Vegetables

For 2 to 3 servings:

• 3/4 cup orzo
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 to 3 cups of fresh vegetables of your choice (I used red, green and yellow peppers with onions, fresh sweet peas and tiny sweet tomatoes that I cut in half)
• 3 tablespoons sake or rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon red chili paste
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Fresh basil for garnish

Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the orzo and about a teaspoon of salt. Cook the orzo for about 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente, stirring it occasionally. Drain and rinse the orzo and set aside.
While the orzo is cooking, chop the vegetables you plan to use. In a small bowl, mix the sake, soy sauce, chili paste, ginger root and garlic. Set aside.
Now you’re ready to start stir-frying. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a wok or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and stir-fry until crisp-tender. Add the cooked orzo and stir until heated through. Pour some of the sauce over the orzo mixture. You may not need all of it. You decide how much you want to use. Sprinkle some torn fresh basil (or basil chiffonade) over the top and serve. This is a flavorful go-along with grilled chicken or fish.
Tip: Chili paste, toasted sesame oil and rice vinegar can be found in the international aisle of most large grocery stores with the Asian ingredients. Sake can be purchased in many liquor stores.

Who can resist the bright red, plump, juicy raspberries of summer? Area gardens are bearing many edible gifts for us right now. Fresh berries are among them.

Raspberries and chocolate are a divine match. One bite of the Raspberry Muffins with Chocolate and Brown Sugar Topping that appear in my column this week is proof of that.

Raspberries paired with lemon is a bit more demure. The flavors combine and seem to become one. It brings pleasure in a quiet, subtle way. One small chunk of Tart Lemon and Raspberry Pound Cake on your tongue brings bright summer sunshine to mind.

I love the dense, moist texture of pound cake. Tart Lemon and Raspberry Pound Cake is bright with flavor and so buttery it almost melts in your mouth. I make a blueberry pound cake every summer when the blueberries are fresh-picked. I decided to give it a try with raspberries. My experiment did not disappoint. Freshly squeezed lemon juice, finely grated lemon zest and little bits of minced fresh lemon thyme from my herb garden give the naturally sweet raspberries star treatment.
I baked the cake in a 12-cup Bundt pan. After cooling in the pan for about 10 minute, it released easily onto the cooling rack. Before baking a Bundt cake, I grease the pan well with a mixture I make of equal parts shortening, canola oil and flour. It never lets me down.
This pound cake is delicious. I will be making it again soon — probably with blueberries rather than raspberries when my cooking teacher friends come to teach classes with me in a couple of weeks. Carmela Tursi Hobbins, author of "Carmela’s Cucina" and Pat Sinclair, author of "Baking Basics and Beyond" will be joining me in Bemidji on August 13th. We’ll be teaching two cooking classes together. Three Cooks in the Kitchen — what fun! You can get the details along with how to register for the classes by clicking here.
Back to the cake — lemon, lemon, lemon and raspberries. It’s summer sunshine in a Bundt pan.

Tart Lemon and Raspberry Pound Cake

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• Grated zest from 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh lemon thyme or regular thyme
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
In large mixing bowl (I use my stand mixer) beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat at medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until egg is well incorporated into butter mixture.
Add sour cream and lemon zest. Beat at low speed to blend. With mixer at low speed, add sifted flour mixture alternately with milk and lemon juice, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in lemon thyme. Gently fold in raspberries. Spread batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until cake tests done. Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto wire rack to cool. Slice and serve when completely cool.