Bergamot Bars

I really like lemon bars, but I never make them. Never. I'm really not sure why, given that my love of sour citrus is not something unknown to be a routine feature in my recipes. Ross has been asking me for months to please make some lemon bars, and I've just been putting it off for some reason. But then, of course, the bergamots arrived and that changed everything. I'd actually forgotten about the usual lemon bar request, until Ross wisely asked if I'd be interested in bergamot bars. Well, of course I am. So, I was looking through the Martha Stewart cookie book to see if there was a recipe in there (there wasn't). I know, I said it. Martha Stewart. I know so many people hate her, but I just can't dislike her one bit, regardless of her legal actions or personality. The woman can cook. So I love her, and I'm okay with that. I can't imagine why there would be a lemon bar recipe, since they're not cookies, but nonetheless I looked. Perhaps I just needed a break from all my class readings, and what better way to get it than to read cookie recipes? There was, interestingly enough, a mandelbrot recipe, so I could've saved a lot of time reinventing the wheel in developing my own recipe for it by using hers, since her recipes generally tend to be pretty much perfect. Anyway. Martha Stewart plug completed.

So I have all these bergamots, and I have a husband who may be obsessed with lemon bars. I figured I may as well combine these two elements and simply make some bergamot bars. I ended up going with the Joy of Cooking recipe (page 765, so you can see the original recipe), to which I made very, very few changes. So I'm basically going to type out their recipe, with the changes. Either way, hope you enjoy!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (or not)

6 large eggs
3 cups sugar (wow!)

grated zest of one bergamot orange
1 1/8 cup bergamot juice (this took 4 oranges, I believe; and I've reserved the peels for candy-making)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325F. In food processor (or do this by hand, but y'all know I'm lazy), mix together first group of ingredients, then pulse in the butter until it's crumbly. Press the dough into an ungreased 13x9" pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Put the pan on a rack to cool when it comes out of the oven, and turn the oven down to 300F. Whisk together eggs and sugar, then add in zest and juice and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle flour on top and then beat that in as well. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until the top is set. Cool on a rack. Some people like to dust with extra 10x sugar, but I think that sees a little excessive. You do what you like, though. Makes 18-ish bars.

Comments

  1. HeebyJeebyLeebee11:56 AM

    Ross can always make lemon bars with me. I love them, and Ed's not a citrus guy, so I need someone to share my sour love with.

    (that sounded really bad, but you get my drift)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Allie12:10 PM

    I bet he'd love to learn how you make them, too! And Ed and I can TV it up while y'all make pastries!

    ReplyDelete

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