Better late than never: the last of the goodies I served at last spring's Garden Club meeting....lemon squares. Which we all have at least four recipes for, right? But I'd never made them with an herbal base. I first tried rosemary in a crust with my fig tart and was blown away, so just knew these would be wonderful. Believe it or not, they freeze a dream.
Lemon Curd Squares with Rosemary
From Sweet Amandine who adapted them from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark
Ingredients:
For the shortbread crust:
3 c. all-purpose flour
1½ c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter
½ c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. confectioners’ sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (just to be clear, measure after you’ve chopped)
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
For the lemon curd:
6 large eggs
1½ c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
¼ c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
A pinch of salt
Method:
Preheat the oven to 325 and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
Make the shortbread:
Combine the 3 c. flour, butter, ½ c. granulated sugar, confectioners’ sugar, rosemary, and 1 tsp. lemon zest in a food processor, and pulse until a crumbly dough forms. Don’t be alarmed if the dough is very, very crumbly, indeed. That’s just how it is. It will come together beautifully as it bakes.
Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake until the shortbread is golden around the edges, about 40 minutes.
While the shortbread is baking, make the lemon curd:
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then add the 1½ c. granulated sugar, lemon juice, flour, ¼ c. flour, 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, and salt, and whisk until smooth.
When the shortbread is ready, take it out of the oven and increase the temperature to 350. Pour the lemon curd onto the shortbread and return the pan to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes more, until the topping is just set. Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting into squares. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar right before serving.
The bars will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.
