Raspberry Lemon Bars

I’m back to reality this Monday.  This past week/weekend has been a blur.  I had my first big-kid art show last Thursday, and this was followed up with a whirlwind trip to Utah with Dave.  We got back last night at 11:30pm and so now, I confess, I’m pretty much dead to the world.

(That is my subtle apology for any future grammatical errors or tyops 😉 )

So what better day to post a delicious dessert recipe that I wish I could be eating off of my screen?  Oh yes, today is that day.

Before I get started on singing the praises of these to-die-for Raspberry Lemon Bars, I’m going to do a little shameless art plugging.

So, for anyone who hasn’t been following along, in my other (other) life, I am a painter.  And by painter, I mean, I spent my high school years studying art intensively, then took a 12 year hiatus, and have gotten myself back into the game starting last year when I started teaching myself how to oil paint via YouTube videos.

I’m now enrolled in an oil painting class locally and I recently participated in my very first group show as an adult!  I’m beyond excited.  

While I didn’t make any sales (yet! fingers crossed..), I was overwhelmed by the support and encouragement from friends who made it out to see the show, and family who sent me words of encouragement from afar.  For anyone who is a creative type (as probably many of you are being bloggers and chefs), it’s such a vulnerable thing to put yourself out there and let the world see and judge your work.

And while I know that I still have a ways to go in terms of pushing myself artistically and creating a complete body of work, it still feels awesome to have accomplished one mini milestone on my progression as an artist.

So if any of you are painters or paint-lovers, feel free to check out my work over on my other website: Sarah Pai Fine Art.

And in the meantime let me get back to the meat (er… fruit) of this post- the Raspberry Lemon Bars.

So this recipe is adapted from one of my absolute favorite lemon bar recipes over on Once Upon a Chef’s blog.  The crust is buttery, tender, and crisp.  And the filling is the perfect texture and has just the right amount of tang.

I have been wanting to do something different with this recipe for a while and decided I’d give it a go making a raspberry version.  And wow! I was totally impressed (as were my coworkers).  The raspberry flavor is the perfect compliment to the tangy lemon, and adds a beautiful summer flavor that is just perfect for this time of year.Dusting it off with a generous heap of powdered sugar and then immediately eating 3 in a row worked perfectly as my breakfast 😉

Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!  (Now please excuse me while I stare off into space for the rest of the day until I collapse into bed at 6pm).

Raspberry Lemon Bars

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Ingredients

  

_For the Crust_

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 stick cold butter cut into small cubes

_For the filling_

• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice juice from about 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup fresh raspberry juice from about 1 pint of fresh raspberries *see instructions
• Powdered sugar for garnishing

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter an 8x8 inch square baking pan.
• In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine.
• Add cold butter, and using a pastry blender, mix until texture resembles coarse meal.
• (You may also do this in the food processor by pulsing all ingredients together until mixed).
• Press the mixture into the bottom of the baking pan.
• Bake until lightly browned- about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the filling.

• In a medium mixing bowl combine the eggs, sugar, flour, and zest. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
• Add the lemon juice and whisk.
• Next, place a fine mesh sieve over a measuring cup. Add the fresh red raspberries.
• Using a spoon or a whisk, gently mash the berries until the juice extrudes through the mesh. You may need to scrape it off the underside of the sieve.
• Add 1/4 cup of the fresh raspberry juice to the filling mixture.
• Whisk all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
• When crust is done, immediately pour the filling mixture into the pan.
• Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set.
• Remove, and let rest on a cooling rack until cooled. Then, refrigerate.
• Cut after the bar are chilled (they will hold up much better once chilled).
• Remove bars from pan and dust with powdered sugar (optional).

Did you make this recipe? Head on over to Instagram and tag me @thegourmetgourmand or share on the hashtag #thegourmetgourmand. Happy cooking!