Lemon Bars with Rosemary Scented Shortbread Crust

Lemon bars are a thing of beauty, don't you think? 

Served with a hot cup of tea, they seem so very proper.

Browsing the Internet, Kate found this recipe for lemon bars. She opted out of adding the poppy seed to the shortbread crust. Instead, she replaced it with two tablespoons of minced fresh rosemary leaves. What a nice switch-up!

With a pretty dusting of sugar, these were just lovely! What a treat to have someone bake for you! I'm glad Kate came home for the weekend!

Lemon Bars with Rosemary Scented Shortbread Crust

adapted from Ina Garten's recipe

Shortbread Crust Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened (2 sticks)

½ c. sugar

2 c. flour

a pinch Kosher salt

2 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves, minced

1. Mix the butter in to the flour, sugar and salt until a shaggy dough forms. Knead in the rosemary.
2. Preheat the oven to 365 ° F.
3. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang to use as ‘handles.
4. Press the shortbread into a 7 x 11 inch pan (a 9 x 9 inch pan works also). Chill for 30 minutes.
5. Bake until the crust is just beginning to turn golden.

Lemon Filling Ingredients:

6 large eggs

2 ½ c. sugar

½ - ¾ c. flour

1 c. Meyer lemon juice

2 tbsp. Meyer lemon zest

1. Whisk the eggs (just enough to break the yolks and combine them with the whites a bit) in a large bowl.
2. Add the flour, sugar, and lemon zest. Mix to combine.
3. Add the lemon juice and whisk to make a smooth batter filling.
4. Pour over the baked shortbread crust and return the lemon bars to the oven.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes – until the filling has set and a very thin golden crust has formed.
6. Let the bars cool for ten minutes and then lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang as handles (this was a two person job for us)
7. Let the bars cool completely before cutting into 2 x 3 inch bars.
8. Place a lemon bar on a pretty plate and dust with confectioner’s serving just before serving.

Later in the day, I walked her through baking a Challah recipe. Kate has professed that she has trouble with yeast breads, so we worked through making sponge, water temperatures, kneading techniques, collapsing the dough gently, and forming loaves.

She did a terrific job on this batch! The braided loaf will go back to Brooklyn with her. Bread for the week's toast and sandwiches. The conventional loaves will be used for French toast and toast with honey. Yum! Good bread!