It is back-to-school season, but I need to prolong the summer vibes a little more because I am not yet ready to fully face the wrath of my work. To do so, I baked some citrus squares, for there is something about lemons and oranges that just radiate sunshine.
This was originally a simple recipe for classic lemon bars. But our fruit bowl had a few extra oranges left, so why not add them in the mix too? I made the right move by tweaking the recipe to be able to squeeze the orange in there somewhere. It enhanced the sour profile of the lemons and brought a little more sweetness to the overall taste of each bar. The basic shortbread bottom layer made for the perfect crust to pour the citrus curd on because it provided a buttery mouthfeel and stable base.
The process of preparing the mise en place left my hands sore for the rest of the day, but it was ultimately worth it. Manually juicing all the lemons and oranges and almost nicking myself with the Microplane to grate the zest rewarded me with an extra-fruity and refreshing snack.
Recipe
Yields 24 servings
~ Ingredients ~
Crust
2 cups or 250 grams all-purpose flour
½ cup or 50 grams powdered sugar
1 cup or 225 grams butter
100 grams white chocolate, melted
Filling
390 grams condensed milk
4 large eggs
⅓ cup lemon juice
⅓ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon lemon zest
½ tablespoon orange zest
½ cup or 50 grams powdered sugar
~ Procedure ~
Preheat the oven to 350℉
To make the crust, mix together all-purpose flour, powdered sugar and butter until they form a dough.
In a 9” x 13” pan, flatten the simple shortbread crust using a spatula or tamper.
Bake this for 20 minutes.
Using an electric stand mixer, whip together the eggs and condensed milk until fluffy.
Add the juices, all-purpose flour, salt, lemon and orange zest, and mix them together until fully incorporated.
Retrieve the crust from the oven and brush the melted white chocolate until the entire surface area of the crust is covered.
Pour the citrus curd on top of the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let them cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting them into 24 squares.
Serve and enjoy!
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