Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

i wanted something easy to make this time, yet one that's not compromised on flavor. a few floggers swear by alice medrich's recipes, and i was really glad some of them shared recipes from her books. therefore, i wasted no chance in trying out my first recipe by alice medrich - lemon bars. turned out very very well indeed. these bars are really addictive. very tart & sourish, yet sweet at the same time. i think i was crazy to reduce the sugar for this one coz they just ended up more sourish! nevertheless, still very good and i couldnt keep my hands off these nifty bars. i was also very happy to be able to get clean cuts of these slices without having to warm or wipe the knife. which is to say, they had been baked to perfection. also, this is my first time making crust like this. adding flour to melted butter directly. i thought it was really strange at first coz the usual method for making crust is to add cold diced butter and rub-in the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. but this wasnt done this way. anyhow, the crust turned out really great. very crispy and fragrant.


i thank diddy for sharing this recipe, as well as a few more from alice medrich's cookies & brownies book. they'll be next on my list!

ingredients:

for the crust :

8 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

for the lemon topping :

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1.5 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup strained fresh lemon juice

icing sugar, for dusting

directions :

for the crust, melt butter in medium saucepan. remove from heat and stir in sugar, vanilla, and salt. add the flour and mix just until incorporated. press the dough evenly over the bottom of a lined 8-inch square pan. bake in a preheated oven of 180 deg c for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is well browned at the edges and lightly browned in center.

for the lemon topping, stir together the sugar and flour in a medium bowl until well mixed. whisk in the eggs. stir in the lemon zest and juice. when crust is ready, turn the oven down to 150 deg c and pour in the filling. bake for 20-30 mins until topping is puffed at the edges and no longer jiggles in the center.

set on a rack and cool completely in pan. when cool, transfer to cutting board and cut into 16 bars or desired size. sieve icing sugar over bars just before serving.