Tangy an sour – with a crisp buttery base – these citrus bars are delicious! Deeelicious. True love for me. Alice Medrich warns readers that these have a serious pucker and bite and wow, they really do. You can make these with lemon juice or lime juice, or as I did, with both. In the past I’ve tried to make lemon bars but with little success. The filling would creep under the crust and the top would be a mushy mess, but these were perfect! Very very easy to make and refreshing with their zing. Jonathan LOVED these. Sylvie, Greg, Ali and Edith (my mother-in-law) too – we all enjoyed. Rob thought the crust might be too buttery but I think nice with the sour filling. So now you know, buttery and sour. Up to you…if for you! Enjoy-
Store in refrigerator – in an airtight container. They will keep for about a week – although after about 3 days will loose their crispy crunch (the crust).
lemony lime bars (from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert):
crust–
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour
topping–
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lime or lemon zest (wash and dry the fruit first), I used lime zest
1/2 cup strained fresh lime or lemon juice, I used 3 oz lime juice and 1 oz lemon juice but you can do all lemon or lime whatever you want
2 pinches kosher salt
powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in lower third of oven. Line the bottom of an 8 inch pan with tin foil. (If you turn your pan upside down – press the foil over it to make the square shape – then flip pan over and gently press the shaped foil in it. Look at baking tips as well.) You want enough of a foil overhang to be able to pull the foil (and bars) out easily.
Crust – In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter with the sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and mix until just incorporated. Press the dough evenly onto the bottom of the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is nicely browned at the edges and golden in the center.
Make the topping while the crust is baking. Stir together the sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl until well mixed. Whisk in the eggs and mix well. Stir in the lemon or lime zest and juice as well.
When the crust is ready, slide the rack out and pour the filling into the pan – onto the hot crust. Reduce the oven temp to 300 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes. You want the topping to be set – no jiggles in the center when the pan is tapped.
Let cool on rack in pan. Once cool – lift foil liner (and giant lemon square) and transfer to cutting board. If the top has a thin layer of moisture on it, you can gently remove with a paper towel by gently placing it on top to blot. Use a long sharp knife to cut the bars. Sift powdered sugar on top if desired. Again, store in refrigerator in an airtight container. Enjoy-
