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Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Source of Recipe

From "Red Truck Bakery Cookbook" by Brian Noyes


Recipe Introduction

"One of my rules is to never pass up a lemonade stand. Any kid that entrepreneurial and enterprising will always get my patronage — and a few extra bucks in their tip jar. I know how hard it is to open your own business, so they deserve any encouragement they can get. These summery bars celebrate those pint-powered pop-ups. Like lemon bars, these are a little on the soft side while nestled on a firm shortbread cookie-type base. The brightness of the strawberry is a sweet companion to the tingling tartness of the lemon. Never use frozen strawberries for this recipe. They're not sweet enough, don't have enough flavor, and are too watery, so the filling won't gel."

List of Ingredients

Crust:
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
â—¦ ½ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ Zest of 1 lemon
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
â—¦ 1 large egg yolk

Filling:
â—¦ ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 5 large egg yolks
â—¦ 4 cups stemmed, hulled, and quartered fresh strawberries (about 1 quart)
â—¦ Zest of 1 lemon
â—¦ ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 3 or 4 lemons)
â—¦ ¼ cup cornstarch

â—¦ Confectioners' sugar, for dusting


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Make the crust:
In a food processor, combine the flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest, salt, and butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and pulse until incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and press it in evenly. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, turning the pan after 10 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let the crust cool to room temperature. Leave the oven on.

Meanwhile, make the filling:
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the granulated sugar and stir until combined. Let cool slightly, then mix in the egg yolks.

In a food processor, combine the strawberries, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the cornstarch and pulse to incorporate.

Add the strawberry mixture to the butter mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture has thickened to a custard-like consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Pour the strawberry mixture over the cooled crust.

Bake for 10 minutes, until the filling has set. Let cool in the pan on a raised wire rack for 20 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator and let set for 2 to 3 hours. Dust with confectioners' sugar and cut into roughly 2 ¼ x 3-inch bars. Place on a serving plate and cover with plastic wrap; store at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 4 days.


Makes 18 bars