One of my favorite snacks when I would come home from school as a kid was going to the fridge and finding a cold apple or lemon custard pie, cutting out about 25% of the round beauty and just feasting…and maybe cutting another normal slice if I was ravenous. I don’t think I’ve really had lemon pie since I was a kid, but as soon as I chomped down on these gorgeous lemon bars, I was 12 yrs old again. The buttery, crunchy shortbread is a perfect accompaniment for the bright and smooth lemony custard. The lemon comes through loud and clear with the assistance of fresh lemon juice and assertive zest from 4 citrus gods. Dust with a little confectioner’s sugar and it’s pure bliss.
Best Lemon Bars
adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Cook's Illustrated
Crust
1 cup AP flour
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
8 tbsp butter, melted
Aluminum foil
Filling
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp AP flour
1.5 tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
3 eggs + 3 egg yolks
2 tsp grated lemon zest (from ~4 lemons)
⅔ cup lemon juice (from ~4 lemons)
4 tbsp butter, cut into 8 pieces
Fine mesh sieve
Thermometer
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Place the rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350. Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan by layering 2 sheets of heavy duty foil in a cross pattern, smoothing out the interior corners and fold the overlap to use as handles for removal of the bars later.
Meanwhile, whisk together the dry crust ingredients, then stir in the butter until the mixture is tightened up. Press the crust into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until dark golden, rotating the pan halfway through.
While the crust bakes, whisk together the dry filling ingredients in the same, uncleaned bowl you used to prepare the crust. Then whisk in the eggs/yolks until no longer streaky. Zest and juice your lemons then whisk into the filling.
Transfer the filling to a pot, over medium heat, and stir constantly until the filling thickens and reaches 160 degrees. Then remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
Once the crust is ready, pour the strained lemon filling over it, smooth out, and place back in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes. The middle should just wiggle slightly when shaken.
Remove and cool on a rack for 90 minutes. When ready to serve, remove the baked deliciousness using the overhanging foil. Remove the foil and slice into bars, wiping the knife clean after each cut, and dust with confectioners’ sugar. ______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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