3.05.2016

Whole Lemon Bars


Not another lemon bar recipe! But yes, and I hope you'll give it a try. This is the second citrus recipe I've made recently that included the rind in the ingredients. (Please use organic citrus; wash it well.) These bars were originally a David Lebovitz recipe; Pastry Studio made some adaptations and commented on her pleasure of the pucker quality of these bars, especially when you're used to the old fashioned (and quite sweet) lemon bars. I liked them too, pucker and all, and found the slight texture in them interesting as well. You can use either crust...I included both Pastry Studio's almond crust, which I used here, and the Lebovitz crust which is what you're more accustomed to seeing.
These are definitely not your generic lemon bars!


Whole Lemon Bars
From :Pastry Studio, adapted from David Lebovitz



Ingredients for the crust:
(David's Crust)
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 oz (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

(Pastry Studio's Almond Crust, used in this recipe)

1 cup flour
1/4 cup  toasted sliced almonds
3 tablespoons sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
4 oz (8 tablespoons) cold butter cut into 1/2" pieces
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

Ingredients for the filling:
1 large or 2 small - medium lemons (6 oz)
1 cup  sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 eggs at room temperature
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon  cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 oz (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

powdered sugar, for dusting

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease an 8" square pan and line with parchment with a slight overhang on two sides.

For David's pastry crust:, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt until combined.  Add the melted butter and vanilla and stir with a fork just until smooth.  Press into the bottom of the pan, distributing the dough as evenly as possible.
For :pastry studio's crust: put flour, almonds, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process to combine.  Add the cold butter (cut into 1/2" pieces) and pulse just until the mixture looks like coarse meal.  Add egg yolk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and process until the dough just starts to clump.  Press evenly into prepared pan.

Bake the crust until it's golden brown, about 25 minutes. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degree F. 

For the filling
Cut the lemon/lemons in half and remove the seeds.  Cut the lemon into smaller chunks and place them in the bowl of a food processor or blender along with the sugar and lemon juice.  Process until the lemon is finely chopped.  Add the eggs, cornstarch, salt and melted butter and blend until almost smooth.

Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust and bake for 25 minutes or just until the filling stops jiggling and is barely set.  Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. 


Carefully lift and remove the cooled pastry from the pan using the parchment overhang to assist.  Cut the bars into squares or rectangles and sift powdered sugar over the top just before serving.

14 comments:

  1. that little wonders !!! Compliments!!! :-D

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  2. I love pucker up lemon and using the rind..I love almond crust ..would go your way:)
    Sunny delights.

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  3. Puckery lemon bars sound perfect! I like a good level of tartness in lemony sweets. And, I like how quickly the filling can be made. Makes me want to try it right now!

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  4. Lovely bars Barbara. I enjoy how Lemon rind brings out the lemon flavor and I try to remember to use it more often. I never turn down a dessert with lemon.
    Sam

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  5. One of my favorite treats!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  6. These are some wonderful cookie bars. I love that nutty crust.

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  7. that's bonkers! i like the whole no-waste notion and i'll bet these pack one heck of a lemon punch!

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  8. I like very lemony things…my husband jokes that I like a little tea with my lemons. I think I would enjoy the bars, especially with the almond crust.

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  9. Hi Barbara, I have lemons coming out of my ears right now, will be making this straight away, looks delicious!

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  10. I love that lemon filling.. Sounds so fresh

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  11. I love lemon almost as much as I love chocolate! These sound amazing, Barbara, and you can bet I'll be trying them soon.

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  12. Oh Barbara, I have not had lemon bars in ages...just the thought of the creamy lemon curd and the almost crust make me want a slice of this goodness now.
    Thanks for sharing the recipe...hope you are having a great week :)

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  13. As the Winter months slide on by, Barbara, I find myself still craving lemony goodness. Marion isn't in favor of the puckering qualities of Lemon Bars but I sure am and never seem to tire of them. Now about those crusts, eenie meenie miney mo...

    Thanks for sharing, Barbara...

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  14. There are so many lemon bar recipes in the world, and many of them are too sweet for my taste. Using the whole lemon could make a really intensely flavored bar---sounds great to me. Oh, and I would opt for the almond crust---nice change-up!

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