Recipe: Tartine Bakery Lemon Bars on Brown Butter Shortbread Crust

TARTINE BAKERY LEMON BARS ON BROWN BUTTER SHORTBREAD CRUST

"Although we love having these bars fill our pastry cases in the fall and winter - they are one of the few bright colors in the sea of chocolate and caramel - a really cold lemon bar in the heat of the summer is very refreshing. I find the bases of most lemon bars to be undercooked and doughy, and the filling usually too scant, Just as we like to bake a lot of our pastries a little darker than many bakeries, we do the same with these bars: we bake the shortbread base until it turns golden brown, producing a deeper butter flavor and crispier crust. We also fill the crust with a little more custard than is typical. You will find that the bases of these bars not only have a nice toothsome bite, but will also stay crisp beyond the day they are made."



"If you can find a bergamot orange (a sour, aromatic variety), use the zest (the juice doesn't have the characteristic flavor) in place of the lemon zest. You may also want to try adding pine nuts to the crust. Their earthy flavor is delicious with lemon, and their light, fatty crunch is a good contrast to the crust. Pine nuts are also one of the few nuts not overwhelmed by the strong flavor of lemon."

FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUST:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (2 oz)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (7 1/2 oz)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (6 oz)
1/2 cup pine nuts (2 oz) (optional)

FOR THE FILLING:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2 1/2 oz)
2 1/4 cups sugar (1 pound)
1 cup plus 2 tbsp lemon juice (9 oz)
Lemon zest, grated from 1 small lemon
6 large whole eggs
1 large egg yolk
Salt pinch
Confectioners' sugar for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour and stir to mix. Add the butter and pine nuts (if using) and beat on low speed just until a smooth dough forms.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. To help even out the crust, use the flat bottom of any type of cup, pressing down firmly. Line the crust th parchment paper and fill with pie weights.

Bake the crust until it colors evenly to a deep golden brown, 5 to 35 minutes, Rotate the pan 18o degrees if the crust appears to be baking unevenly.

WHILE THE CRUST IS BAKING, MAKE THE FILLING:
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and whisk until blended. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to dissolve the sugar.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolk with the salt.* Add the eggs to the lemon juice mixture and whisk until well mixed.

When the crust is ready pull out the oven rack holding the crust and pour the filling directly into the hot pan. (It is easiest to pour the custard into the pan if the pan is in the oven.) If the crust has come out of the oven and cooled before you have finished making the filling, put it back in for a few minutes so that it is hot when the custard is poured into it. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and bake just until the center of the custard is no longer wobbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill well before cutting.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 squares, or as desired. If you like, dust the tops of the squares with confectioners' sugar. They will keep in an airtight container or well covered in the baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

*KITCHEN NOTES: Whisking eggs with salt helps to denature (relax) the protein in the eggs and breaks them up more quickly and thoroughly. We do this whenever we need to whisk eggs thoroughly and there is also salt in the recipe. You can also do this if you are making an egg wash, adding a small pinch of salt for each egg you use.

Makes one 9-by-13-inch baking pan; twelve 3-by-3 1/4-inch bars
Source: Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson