It is important to pour the warm filling over a warm crust when making these intensely flavored bar. This mesure that the filling cooks through evenly. you will need about 4 lemons for the juice and zest.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

We always double the crust and triple the curd. The more curd the better. We never stain the curd as every bit of lemon is wonderful. Also using a gluten free flour works well in this recipe.

1) Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the over to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch quatre pan with foil, following the photos on page 616, then coat lightly with vegetable oil spray.

2) process the flour, confectioners sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Sprinkle 8 tablespoons of the buter over the top and pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles course cornmeal, about 8 pulses.

3) Sprinkle the mixture in the prepared pan and press firmly into an even latter using your fingers. Bake until the crust starts to brown, about 20 minutes.

4) while the crust is baking, whisk the yokes and whole eggs together in a medium non reactive sauce pan (see the note on page 702). Whisk in the granulated sugar until combined, then whisk in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixtures thickens slightly and registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.

5) Strain the mixture immediately into a non reactive bowl and stir in the cream. Pour the warm lemon curd over the hot crust. Bake until the filling is shiny and opaque and the center jiggles slightly when shaken, 10 to 15 minutes.

6) Let cool completely on a wire rack about 2 hours, before removing the bars from the pan using the foiled (see page 616) and cutting into squares. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Test kitchen tip: lotsa lemon

Successful lemon bars, with bright lemon flavor, depend on ample amounts of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. To tame the pucker power of these bars and make the curd creamy, we found a small dose of heavy cream and some butter does wonders. A word of caution: if you live in humid climate, dust the lemon bars with confectioners sugar right before serving. Humidity tends to make the sugar melt and turn splotchy.

To make ahead:

The bars can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days