Lemon and Raspberry Bars

This is how I update an old-fashioned lemon bar — add a twist by topping it with raspberries. Valentine’s day is right around the corner; imparting the color red enlivens the lemon bar. This is my way of sending love to my family and friends with a plateful of lemon and raspberry bars. Don’t they look festive!

Making the shortbread crust should be easy because all you have to do is to press the crust to form a base on the bottom of an 8-inch square baking tin. To ensure that the crust would release from the tin in one piece, I line the base with parchment paper. Then bake the crust for 40 minutes and set aside.

The lemon filling is exactly how you make lemon curd. For that I don’t mind having some extra lemon curd around to spread it on scones, biscuits or a piece of toast. I see that lately Meyer lemons are showing up in the store. That reminds me it’s the season for lemon curd.

Ingredients for lemon curd are eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice and butter. Place all the ingredients, except butter, in a saucepan and stir continuously under medium-low heat until the mixture thickened (at 170°F). That takes about 12-15 minutes. In retrospect, I should thicken it a tad beyond the “pourable pudding” stage. After all, it’s much easy to handle and cut into bars when they are close to a solid state. Lastly, incorporate butter in the lemon mixture.

Assemble the bar by placing lemon curd over the layer of crust and bake for 15 minutes until set. After that, let it cool down and refrigerate for at least four hours. This is a make-ahead dessert that requires some planning. Surely, your loved ones will appreciate the time and attention you put into making this sweet, tangy and brilliant treat.

Print Recipe

Lemon and Raspberry Bars: A Yotam Ottolenghi's Recipe

Serves: 15 bars

Ingredients

• For the shortbread crust:
• 130g plain flour
• 60g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• ¼ tsp flaked sea salt
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1½ tbsp lemon thyme leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra sprigs to garnish
• 120g unsalted butter, fridge-cold, cut into 1cm cubes
• 40g flaked almonds, toasted
• For the lemon curd filling:
• 3 large eggs
• 6 egg yolks
• 250g caster sugar
• ½ tsp flaked sea salt
• 6-7 lemons, finely grated to get 2 tbsp zest, then juiced to get 170ml
• 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1cm cubes
• 70g raspberries, halved lengthways

Instructions

1

Heat the oven to 165C/145C fan/330F/ gas 3. Line a 20cm square baking tin that has a removable base with a piece of baking paper large enough to cover the base and sides.

2

For the crust, add the flour, icing sugar, salt, lemon zest, thyme and butter to a food processor and pulse a few times to a crumbly meal – about 20 seconds. Add the almonds and blitz for a few seconds more, until roughly broken. Transfer to the baking tin and use your hands to press the crust into an even layer to cover the base. Bake for 40 minutes, or until light golden, then set aside until needed.

3

Meanwhile, make the filling. Whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, salt, and lemon zest and juice, in a medium saucepan until smooth. Put over a medium-low heat and stir continuously, until the mixture thickens to resemble a pourable pudding – 12-15 minutes.

4

Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted and combined. Pour over the shortbread crust and gently shake the tin to even out. Top with the raspberries, spreading them out, cut side down, pressing them in gently without completely submerging them.

5

Bake for 15 minutes, or until set but still jiggly in the centre. Leave to cool at room temperature for an hour before refrigerating for at least four hours to set completely.

6

Gently remove the lemon bar from the tin by holding the baking paper on both sides, and lift on to a cutting board. Trim the ends to give you a perfect square, then slice into 15 pieces, wiping the knife clean as you go.

7

Use a small sieve to dust the top with icing sugar, then sprinkle with the extra thyme. Serve at once: these are best eaten cold, not long after they’ve been dusted with sugar.

Notes

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/aug/03/yotam-ottolenghi-summer-berry-dessert-recipes