Southern Belle Lemon Bars

1 Comment May 2, 2020 terrie gura

It was an innocent enough text, sent to me by my BFF: “Do you make lemon bars?”

And that began our annual tradition of me making lemon bars as Ruthanne’s special homemade birthday treat. The first batch was a simple Martha Stewart recipe I found online, but as I’ve already noted in another post, I cannot leave well enough alone. No disrespect to Martha, but Ruthanne is usually doing one or another version of low-carb eating, so for her, I’ve scaled back some of the flour in favor of almond flour. And I’ve cut back on the sugar as well, which really allows the fresh-squeezed lemon to take (nearly) full credit for the deliciousness these squares bring to spring.

But it isn’t the almond in the crust or the skimping on sugar that really makes these different. My secret weapon is a little known ingredient called Fiori di Sicilia.

This ingredient adds a memorable touch to baked goods. Look for it in specialty stores or online from King Arthur Flour.

You may think you’ve never heard of it, but I’ll bet you’d recognize the flavor. It’s an Italian specialty extract, and tastes like Meyer lemon, oranges and vanilla. Kind of like a creamsicle, one of my favorite ice cream treats of childhood. Fiori di Sicilia is the special flavor that makes panettone tastes like panettone. And today, it will bring a unique twist to these lemon bars for our Kentucky Derby Preview.

So there you have it. My secret lemon bar ingredient is out. I considered naming this dessert “Ruthanne’s Favorite Lemon Bars,” but this secret is pretty delicious. And if this post were to go viral—well, I’m not sure she’s ready for that kind of attention.

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (measure by fluffing, sprinkling and leveling)

1/2 cup very fine almond flour

4 large egg yolks

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 good size lemons)

Zest of one lemon (organic is best)

A few drops Fiori di Sicilia* (a little goes a long way)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides, and butter the paper for easy release when the bars are done.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour and almond flour, and mix on low just until combined. Scrape down bowl a couple of times to ensure even mixing. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan. This might be tricky because the almond flour isn’t as stiff as all-purpose flour—if your fingers stick, either sprinkle a bit of flour over the mixture to act as a buffer, or put the whole pan in the fridge 20 minutes and try again. Prick all over the surface with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk and lemon juice until smooth. Whisk in Fiori di Sicilia. Allow crust to cool about 5 minutes, then gently pour lemon filling over crust in pan, return to oven and bake until filling is set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely.

I like to fold the parchment on the sides to fit more neatly, and notice that the “overhang” is opposite the handles.
If the almond shortbread crust is too sticky to press, sprinkle lightly with flour or chill in the fridge 20 minutes to firm up the butter.
The crust is nice and golden from the oven. It’s even more delicate than regular shortbread, so let it cool slightly before adding the filling.
Organic, free-range egg yolks have such a rich color, and it will make these lemon bars extra pretty!
A tiny bit of this is all I need for my lemon bars. This is my 1/8 teaspoon, and it’s not quite half full!
The lemon scent is positively intoxicating.
Oopsie! I let this go a couple minutes too long. Fortunately, the powdered sugar will cover a multitude of sins. Kinda like Spanx.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 2 hours. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 9 or 16 squares, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

I trimmed the slightly overdone edges. No harm, no foul!

*Catering tip:

Cutting the lemon bars neatly can be a fussy task. Do what the pros do—use a very sharp knife, run it under warm water before you begin, and wipe blade clean with a damp kitchen towel before you begin and between cuts. The filling won’t accumulate on the blade, so it won’t transfer back onto the lemon bars.

Unless you have the special sugar that baking professionals use, it’s likely that your dusting of powdered sugar will melt into the lemon bars. For prettiest presentation, dust them just before serving.

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Mint Julep Sorbet

Ingredients

Handful of organic fresh mint (about 1 oz.)
2 cups filtered water
1 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup bourbon
Up to 1 cup unflavored seltzer water (or a subtle flavor such as lemon)*
Additional fresh mint for garnish

Gently rinse the fresh mint in cool water, remove heavy stems and set aside on paper towel.

Instructions

Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add the bourbon. As you know, alcohol doesn’t freeze completely, so we are going to evaporate some of the alcohol out of the bourbon, thereby concentrating its flavor. Allow it to come to a very slight boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until it’s reduced by half. You can check this by pouring the reduced bourbon into a glass measuring cup—you should end with 1/4 cup or slightly less. Pour into a large glass jar and cool completely, then put it into the fridge.

Rinse the saucepan and combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring it to a light boil, then turn off the heat. Add the mint leaves and steep for a couple of hours until completely cooled. Strain and discard mint, add syrup to the jar of reduced bourbon and refrigerate.

To freeze the sorbet in an ice cream machine, combine syrup and seltzer, then add the mixture all at once and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions, which is probably about 20 minutes. Transfer to a freezer-safe covered container and freeze several hours or overnight. It will still be pretty soft when you finish the blending, but the deep freeze will firm it up a bit more.

No ice cream machine? No problem—combine the syrup and seltzer in a freezer-safe container (something wide and shallow works best), cover and freeze about 2 hours. Use a fork to scrape through it and “fluff” it up, then freeze another 2 hours (repeat again as needed until it’s as slushy as you like. Or, wait until it’s fully frozen, scoop mixture into a blender or processor and blend until smooth, then re-freeze until ready to serve. This will allow you to incorporate some air into the sorbet.

*This is a very sweet sorbet recipe. If you prefer a lighter essence, combine frozen sorbet with up to a cup of very cold seltzer water in a food processor and return to the freezer. The bubbles in the seltzer will help incorporate air into the sorbet for even freezing.

To serve, scoop sorbet into a small glass dish or shallow cocktail glass, and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

This refreshing treat is best enjoyed whilst wearing a fancy hat.

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The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports

Leave a comment May 1, 2020 terrie gura

Here’s my big confession about the Kentucky Derby: I’ve never been, and until a few years ago, I honestly never even paid attention to it. But a dear friend had written to me about his incredible experience of attending the Derby for a buddy’s bachelor party, and I was mesmerized (and forever changed) by his retelling of that event. By sheer luck, he ended up with some kind of VIP passes, and wristbands marked “Millionaire’s Row”—which is, of course, the place to be if you want to hobnob at Churchill Downs. Here’s an excerpt of what he wrote:

“So much buzz in the air, the fashion was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Beautiful women with giant, crazy hats and bright dresses, and guys with perfectly tailored suits, fedoras and shiny leather shoes. It felt like a Great Gatsby party…”

Okay, he had me at “hello.” Like most women I know, I love any excuse for getting dressed up and I frequently lament that we rarely have a chance to do so in our modern culture. My friend continued, describing the glorious atmosphere inside the ballroom:

“There were people sitting at fancy tables everywhere…champagne on ice…the mint juleps and bourbon were free and so was the food. They had a gorgeous buffet with chefs at the carving station, and the betting window was just steps away…”

And that, right there, did me in. I could literally hear the glasses clinking, and the people talking and laughing. Such excitement! And WOW, what a race!

That was 2015, the year that American Pharaoh went on to win the first Triple Crown since 1978, and from that time forward, I’ve been a fan of the Kentucky Derby. Not only for the race itself, which is only about two minutes anyway. But for absolutely everything else—the fashion, the food, the cocktails—it’s all just so darn fancy!

This year, the Derby is postponed for only the second time in its history (the first was in 1945, when World War II prompted a temporary ban on horse racing, and the race was delayed by a couple of months), but just last weekend, organizers announced that this year, a “virtual” race will be televised to appease everyone who has eagerly anticipated this first-Saturday-in-May event. It’s a computer-simulated version of the race, tied to a COVID-19 fundraiser (you can read more about that here) and though I can’t quite imagine how it will unfold, I’m thrilled to have a reason to get a little glamorous—now, and again on the rescheduled date, Sept 5.

My preview party is designed to celebrate all the Kentucky Derby pomp in three key categories: the Sips (cocktails), the Nibbles (food) and the Sweet Photo Finishes (desserts). Go ahead—have a sneak peek if you’d like. I’ve even created a simple tutorial to help you dress up a hat so you can get your fancy on. And get ready. Tomorrow, I’ll be flooding your inbox with all these recipes!

Friends, this kind of stuff is exactly what Comfort du Jour is all about.