Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Melt and mix lemon bars + songs linked to my vacations

Melt and mix lemon bars / Barrinhas de limão siciliano do Bill

It was not like I planned it, but the past two vacation periods I had were marked by a song each: 2010's vacation was all about Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition" while the days off I had in 2011 come to mind every time I listen to Feldberg's "Dreamin". This year's vacation period, though, is linked to two different songs, and I can't choose my favorite. :D

Days off request my favorite flavor, and therefore I present you Bill's delicious lemon bars, dead easy to make and with a filling that reminded me more of custard than curd; for a moment I thought of dusting the bars with icing sugar to hide the small cracks, but then I came to the conclusion that the idea went against what I believe: I don't think there's anything wrong with cracks in desserts - or lines in people's faces, for that matter.

Melt and mix lemon bars
from the always beautiful and delicious Feed Me Now! (mine was bought here)

Base:
1 1/3 cups (185g) all purpose flour
4 tablespoons (40g) corn starch, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (62g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
600ml heavy cream
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
finely grated zest of 4 lemons
1 1/3 cups (320ml) lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Lightly butter a 32x22cm (13x9in) baking pan*, line it with foil leaving an overhang in two opposite sides and butter the foil as well.
Base: sift the flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Make a well in the center and add the melted butter and vanilla. Mix until evenly combined then press the dough into the base of the prepared pan. Chill for 30 minutes – in the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Bake the base for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Filling: sift the flour into a large bowl. In medium bowl, whisk together the cream, sugar and eggs. Add a couple of tablespoons of the egg mixture to the flour, whisking to dissolve it into the liquid (do that to avoid flour lumps in the mixture). Add the remaining egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, zest and vanilla.
As soon as the base is golden pour the filling mixture on top and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until set. Cool in the pan over a wire rack. Cut into bars or squares and serve.

* I made the exact recipe above using a 20x30cm (8x12in) baking pan

Makes about 20 slices

10 comments:

Abby said...

I make it a rule to avoid any perfect-looking dessert. They don't usually taste all that good! These bars look fantastic.

Laura (Tutti Dolci) said...

Lovely bars!

Cupcake and Talk said...

Hi Patricia,
I am excited to try these bars with a custard feel to them. The photograph looks lovely, lines and all.

tea with hazel said...

oh my goodness..these look amazing..yep..i will be making 'em..oh..and i'm with you on the not so perfect look in food and people..i've let me hair go grey and it's so liberating!

Laura said...

I adore lemon bars... heck I adore lemon anything. Yum!

Lynna said...

LOL...lines on people`s faces. These look fabulous. I`m a total lemon lover. MUST BAKE!

ally said...

i love how you mixed such a yummy recipe with music choices. so lovely!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.ca/

Lilly Sue said...

oh my, these look scrumptious! I absolutely love lemon bars...I think I need to make these soon :)

Marina said...

My Mom made this recipe for my birthday cake yesterday and BOY are these soooo good!! One of the best lemon bar recipes ever!!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Marina, that is excellent news! Thank you so much for letting me know!

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