Ultimate Lemon Bar

Hi WEEC listeners,


Here is the recipe I mentioned on today's segment.   I freeze whole lemons & limes so that I always have them on hand.  Defrosting in the microwave yields usually 3-4 tablespoons per fruit.  You can also purchase frozen lemon juice which which is great to have on hand, too.

Confectionately  Yours,  

Sue

ULTIMATE LAYERED LEMON BARS


Crust
1/2 c. butter
 1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. confectioners sugar
1 c. all purpose flour


Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla, then flour. Press dough into 8 x 8 pan.
Refrigerate crust 30 minutes. Prick crust with fork; then bake 30 minutes in a preheated 325° oven for 20-30 minutes or until brown.


Cream cheese filling
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1-1/2 c. powdered sugar
 1 tsp. lemon extract


Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg and lemon extract. Spread evenly over crust. Top with lemon curd.


Lemon curd
4 egg yolks
1 T. cornstarch
3/4 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. lemon peel, grated
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 T. butter, softened


Blend egg yolks with cornstarch. Place on low heat and whisk in water and lemon juice. Increase heat to med-low and cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens enough to cover the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. 


Add lemon peel and butter; cool for 10 minutes. Spread lemon curd evenly over cream cheese layer. Bake 30-40 minutes or until edges begin to turn brown. 


Cool to room temp. Chill 1 hour before cutting. Dust top with confectioners sugar.


Note: These are the ultimate lemon bar. When recipes call for eggs, use large eggs unless otherwise noted. Large eggs are the standard in baking. 


Also 1 large egg usually = 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons), so you can successfully half a recipe that calls for 1 egg by beating the egg, measuring and removing half.