Lemon Pie Bars
Today is my friend's birthday. She requested something that was either lemon or chocolate and said she would be happy to be a guinea pig for a new blog recipe. How could I resist? I wanted to make an Oreo cake but it is multi-step and involves buttercream frosting...hmmm, today I had both kids (strike 1), it has been super hot the past few days (strike 2) and it is a layer cake (strike 3...for now!). I opted for lemon pie bars instead.
Today's cast!
The recipe is pretty basic: graham cracker crust and creamy filling. The recipe said "about 24 crackers"--soooo, does that mean the entire thing is a cracker? If I break it in half on that perforation is that a cracker or since it's perforated into fourths, are each of those crackers? The internal argument was loud and indecisive. I ended up crumbling an entire packet of 9 large crackers or 18 medium crackers or 36 small crackers.
I broke them into bits with my hands and then used an empty spice jar to break them into finer crumbs. It was therapeutic and quelled the "what is a cracker?" argument for a while.
I added two tablespoons of sugar to the cracker crumbs and added the melted butter.
It soon became clear that I did not have enough cracker crumbs.
I began crumbling more crackers directly into the buttery mixture. I didn't bother with the spice jar and broke them up as finely as I could. I kept adding a few more crackers until the mixture had absorbed the butter. If anyone is counting, it would be the equivalent of 18 big crackers. Don't make me figure out the rest.
I sprayed a 9x13 pan with Pam and then lined it with parchment. The excess parchment will help to lift the bars from the pan after they've cooled.
I patted the crust evenly into the pan and baked at 350 for 9 minutes. Ok, there were a few larger bits but they're going to be covered by filling. The crust was set and nicely golden. Phew.
In the meantime, I zested two lemons and squeezed them for their juice.
A reamer is great at breaking up those little fruit cells so the juice can be released. I had four lemons and they yielded nearly a cup of juice.
I separated six eggs and lightly beat the yolks.
The condensed milk was added to the yolks and then I sieved the juice into the mixture and added the zest.
Everything was going swimmingly until I opened the heavy cream and it wouldn't pour out. At first I thought it was horribly spoiled and curdled, even though I just bought it yesterday. Then I realized that it was mostly frozen from sitting at the back of the fridge. I threw it in the microwave and used the soften ice cream setting.
It mostly worked but because cream has a high fat content, the fat was forming semi-solid clumps that didn't want to rejoin with the liquidy part of the cream. I managed to whip it together but the texture was not as rich.
I added it to the rest of the filling and fortunately, it whisked in smoothly.
To ensure a smooth, creamy texture, the bars were cooked in a bain marie.
The pie bars baked at 325 for about 20 minutes--just until the center set. I cooled it on the countertop for an hour. Then I covered it and put it in the fridge to chill completely.
The bars sliced beautifully though the filling was a bit soft. I think the cream was a contributing factor; more fat would have given a firmer consistency. The crust was tasty, the filling very silky and surprisingly light. We all agreed that even more tartness would be welcome since the condensed milk made it very sweet.
Thanks for being a guinea pig, L! Hope you enjoyed your birthday dessert--Oreo cake next. But, let's wait till the weather cools down a bit. And it's a weekend.
Three rating from me--mainly because I found it very sweet and because it was good but not over the top special. Counting the graham crackers correctly may have contributed as well...
Today's cast!
The recipe is pretty basic: graham cracker crust and creamy filling. The recipe said "about 24 crackers"--soooo, does that mean the entire thing is a cracker? If I break it in half on that perforation is that a cracker or since it's perforated into fourths, are each of those crackers? The internal argument was loud and indecisive. I ended up crumbling an entire packet of 9 large crackers or 18 medium crackers or 36 small crackers.
I broke them into bits with my hands and then used an empty spice jar to break them into finer crumbs. It was therapeutic and quelled the "what is a cracker?" argument for a while.
I added two tablespoons of sugar to the cracker crumbs and added the melted butter.
It soon became clear that I did not have enough cracker crumbs.
I began crumbling more crackers directly into the buttery mixture. I didn't bother with the spice jar and broke them up as finely as I could. I kept adding a few more crackers until the mixture had absorbed the butter. If anyone is counting, it would be the equivalent of 18 big crackers. Don't make me figure out the rest.
I sprayed a 9x13 pan with Pam and then lined it with parchment. The excess parchment will help to lift the bars from the pan after they've cooled.
I patted the crust evenly into the pan and baked at 350 for 9 minutes. Ok, there were a few larger bits but they're going to be covered by filling. The crust was set and nicely golden. Phew.
In the meantime, I zested two lemons and squeezed them for their juice.
A reamer is great at breaking up those little fruit cells so the juice can be released. I had four lemons and they yielded nearly a cup of juice.
I separated six eggs and lightly beat the yolks.
The condensed milk was added to the yolks and then I sieved the juice into the mixture and added the zest.
Everything was going swimmingly until I opened the heavy cream and it wouldn't pour out. At first I thought it was horribly spoiled and curdled, even though I just bought it yesterday. Then I realized that it was mostly frozen from sitting at the back of the fridge. I threw it in the microwave and used the soften ice cream setting.
It mostly worked but because cream has a high fat content, the fat was forming semi-solid clumps that didn't want to rejoin with the liquidy part of the cream. I managed to whip it together but the texture was not as rich.
I added it to the rest of the filling and fortunately, it whisked in smoothly.
To ensure a smooth, creamy texture, the bars were cooked in a bain marie.
The pie bars baked at 325 for about 20 minutes--just until the center set. I cooled it on the countertop for an hour. Then I covered it and put it in the fridge to chill completely.
The bars sliced beautifully though the filling was a bit soft. I think the cream was a contributing factor; more fat would have given a firmer consistency. The crust was tasty, the filling very silky and surprisingly light. We all agreed that even more tartness would be welcome since the condensed milk made it very sweet.
Thanks for being a guinea pig, L! Hope you enjoyed your birthday dessert--Oreo cake next. But, let's wait till the weather cools down a bit. And it's a weekend.
Three rating from me--mainly because I found it very sweet and because it was good but not over the top special. Counting the graham crackers correctly may have contributed as well...
Here's the promised link:
Comments
Post a Comment