Lemon Bar Flags

With Memorial Day coming up, I was so anxious and excited to post this, as it is so festive and perfect for this holiday. But this past weekend, my kitchen turned into a comedy of errors. My go-to recipe for lemon bars failed me big time. For the first time ever, the lemon filling wouldn't set up. So, I thought, "Okay, no problem, I must have misread a quantity, I’ll trash it and start again." The second try was more disastrous than the first. Exasperated, but determined, I gave it yet another shot. Alas, the 3rd try was worst of all. By this point, I was frustrated to tears. What went wrong? I went to the web site where I originally found the recipe to verify the ingredients. Oddly enough, all the quantities under the list of ingredients had question marks instead of numbers.(I've never seen that before.) Needless to say, along with discarding my failed lemon bars, I destroyed the recipe, also. Guess it’s a mystery I’ll never solve. After a good night’s sleep, I felt rejuvenated and went online to find a more reliable recipe. When I came across this posting at Cooking Classy™, I just knew it would work; lots of eggs (unlike my failed version), along with additional egg yolks, which would give it that deep yellow color that's so gorgeous. Woo Hoo! Not only did it work, but it was fantastic! Without a doubt, the best lemon bars I ever tasted. The texture and flavors are everything you imagine a lemon bar to be, and more. Now, for the festive part…..giving it that special patriotic touch, which makes it so fun for this upcoming weekend!  A dusting of powdered sugar over all, some red stripes (via decorator icing) and some blueberries and you’ve got an adorable replica of the American flag. Picnic perfect! And with my new "go-to" recipe for lemon bars (many thanks Jaclyn), preparation is a breeze (once and done, phew).

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) a 13x9-inch baking dish. 
 

In food processor (or mix in a bowl), pulse together flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add diced butter and pulse until mixtures crumbles (or, if mixing in a bowl, use your fingertips and/or a fork to combine). Press mixture into an even layer on bottom of prepared baking dish (press together any cracks). Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

While crust is baking, begin to prepare filling (because you want to pour prepared filling over hot crust).

Zest and juice lemons. Juice orange.

In large mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Mix in lemon juice, orange juice and lemon zest. 

Add eggs, egg yolks and heavy cream. Whisk vigorously to blend well. 

Pour mixture over hot crust. Reduce oven temperature to 325° F. Return to oven and bake until filling is just set, about 20 to 25 minutes (I used max time of 25 minutes). Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Cover and chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. 

To decorate: 

Note: one tube of writing gel will only decorate 2 bars. To decorate all, use red decorator icing with writing tip.

Generously dust surface of lemon bars with powdered sugar. (This will be “white” part of American flag, so you want a good amount of coating.) Cut into squares. (I cut 9 squares, but they were on the large side, so you can cut them into smaller sizes if you prefer.) Using red decorator frosting with a thin writing tip, draw about 6 lines across the bar (to represent the flag’s stripes).  

Note: I was only able to decorate 2 bars with one small tube of red gel icing. So, you may want to buy regular red decorator icing, instead of dishing out a lot of cash for several of these small tubes.

Wash and thoroughly dry blueberries. For each “flag” place 6 blueberries in upper left hand corner (to represent stars); 3 on top and 3 directly below that. Decorate remaining cut bars in same manner.

Oops! Mike ate one before I was done decorating.

Store bars in airtight container in refrigerator.

Before serving, let refrigerated bars rest at room temperature about 30 minutes, so it’s slightly firm, but just starting to soften.

LEMON BAR FLAGS
Source:  Cooking Classy™ (Lemon Bars)
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, diced into cubes and softened

Filling:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons lemon zest
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh navel orange juice
• 4 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3-1/2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Toppings:

• Powdered sugar
• Fresh blueberries
• Red writing gel, or red decorator icing

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) a 13x9-inch baking dish.
2. In food processor (or mix in a bowl), pulse together flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar and 1/2
    teaspoon salt. Add diced butter and pulse until mixtures crumbles (or, if mixing in a bowl, use your
    fingertips and/or a fork to combine). Press mixture into an even layer on bottom of prepared baking
    dish (press together any cracks). Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
3. While crust is baking, begin to prepare filling (because you want to pour prepared filling over hot
    crust).
4. In large mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Mix in lemon juice,
    orange juice and lemon zest. Add eggs, egg yolks and heavy cream. Whisk vigorously to blend well.
5. Pour mixture over hot crust. Reduce oven temperature to 325° F. Return to oven and bake until filling
     is just set, about 20 to 25 minutes (I used max time of 25 minutes). Cool on wire rack for 1 hour.
    Cover and chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
6. To decorate: Generously dust surface of lemon bars with powdered sugar. (This will be “white” part of
    American flag, so you want a good amount of coating.) Cut into squares. (I cut 9 squares, but they
    were on the large side, so you can cut them into smaller sizes if you prefer.) Using red decorator
    frosting with a thin writing tip, draw about 6 lines across the bar (to represent the flag’s stripes).
    Wash and thoroughly dry blueberries. For each “flag” place 6 blueberries in upper left hand corner (to
    represent stars); 3 on top and 3 directly below that. Decorate remaining cut bars in same manner.
7. Store bars in airtight container in refrigerator. Before serving, let refrigerated bars rest at room
    temperature about 30 minutes, so it’s slightly firm, but just starting to soften.

Limoncello Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie has always been a favorite in this house, but mastering the art of the filling has not always been a successful endeavor for me. I can’t even count the number of times I would slice into the pie, only to have the whole filling collapse into a puddle of mush. So, to counteract that, I would overcook the filling, and end up with a rubbery, lumpy custard that would stick to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. It was always “hit or miss” for me, which was frustrating, because I really wanted to be able to make a pie that would come out perfect each and every time (without having to resort to using a boxed pudding mix). Then I came across this recipe. The addition of Limoncello caught my eye. But, my gut reaction was, “Why bother? I’m never going to get this right.” Curiosity got the best of me and I gave it a whirl; and I’ve been using this recipe ever since, without “any” filling failures (say that 10 times fast). Yes, I know what you are going to say, there’s beading on my meringue so I still have not yet perfected the pie. Probably not, as far as appearance goes. But taste and texture can’t be beat. (I’ll work on the beading issue at another time.) The custard is a perfect balance of lemony sweet and tart; and the meringue is billowy, light and fluffy. The filling sets up beautifully each and every time I make it; and I’ve yet to have the meringue collapse. But, more important, this is, by far, the best tasting Lemon Meringue Pie we’ve ever had. 

Missing from photo: butter

You will need a pre-baked pie crust, which is not included in this recipe. 

In large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, milk, water and a pinch of salt. Whisk to combine. Over medium heat bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally. As the mixture simmers, it will begin to thicken and turn clear (4 to 5 minutes). 

Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into egg yolks and whisk together (tempering to bring egg yolk to temp of hot mixture). 

Then pour this into rest of hot mix in the saucepan. 

Slowly add the lemon juice, whisking constantly, and add the zest and liqueur. 

Add the butter, 1 piece at a time. Whisking constantly, return to a simmer. 

Continue stirring and simmering just until mixture starts to come to a rolling boil (6 to 8 minutes more).

Immediately remove from the heat and pour into prepared pie crust.

Preheat oven to 325° F. 

In large bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt, with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beating constantly, gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until glossy stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overbeat, as this will make the meringue difficult to spread.

Spread the meringue evenly over the pie filling using a rubber spatula, smoothing out to the pastry edges. Make decorative peaks in the meringue using a dull knife, or the back of a spoon.

Cook meringue in preheated oven until set and golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely (about 1 hour), then refrigerate at least 5 hours before serving. (Yes, the recipe does call for refrigeration, so I guess some beading is inevitable.)

 
LIMONCELLO LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Source: Emeril.com
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pre-baked pie crust
• 1- 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 5 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cold water
• Salt
• 6 large egg yolks   
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons Limoncello lemon liqueur
• 2 Tablespoons salted butter, cold, cut into pieces
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 8 Tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, milk, water and a pinch of salt in a large  saucepan, whisk
    to combine, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally. As the mixture simmers,
    it will begin to thicken and turn clear (4 to 5 minutes).  Pour some of the hot mixture (approx 1/2 cup)
    into egg yolks and whisk together, then pour this into rest of hot mix in saucepan (tempering to bring
    egg yolk to temp of hot mixture).  Slowly add the lemon juice, whisking constantly, and add the zest
    and liqueur. Add the butter 1 piece at a time and, whisking constantly, return to a simmer. Continue
    stirring and simmering just until mixture starts to come to a rolling boil (6-8 min more).  Immediately
    remove from the heat and pour into the prepared pie crust.
2. Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and remaining pinch of salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer
    until soft peaks form. Beating constantly, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until glossy
    stiff peaks form, being careful not to overbeat, as this will make the meringue difficult to spread.
3. Spread the meringue evenly over the pie filling using a rubber spatula, smoothing out to the pastry
    edges. Make decorative peaks in the meringue using a dull knife or the back of the spoon.
4. Cook meringue in a preheated 325° oven until set and golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes.
5. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely (about 1 hour), then refrigerate at least 5 hours
    before serving.

Servings: 8