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Lemon & Blood Orange Bars

Bright, tart, zingy lemon mixed with a few dashes of herbaceous bitters makes for a perfectly balanced filling that is topped with jammy baked blood oranges. The shortbread crust is crisp enough to hold up to the filling and tender enough to eat without a fork and knife. These are probably more intensely flavored than the lemon bars you grew up with, but that’s the whole point!
The lemon bars are great with or without the sliced baked oranges.
Author: Zoë François

Ingredients

Baked Oranges

  • 12 1/8-inch / 3mm-thick orange slices (easiest done on a mandoline)
  • 1 1/2 cups / 360ml water
  • 1 cup / 200g granulated sugar

Crust

  • 1 1/4 cup / 150g all-­purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup / 75g sugar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup / 112g unsalted butter at room temperature

Lemon Filling

  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups / 350g granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup / 30g all-­purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 lemons zested
  • 3/4 cup / 175ml fresh lemon juice about 4 large lemons
  • 5 shakes of aromatic bitters

Instructions

To Prepare the Oranges (optional)

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C.
  • Bring the sugar and water to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves into a syrup. Put the orange slices in the bottom of a small baking dish, pour the hot sugar syrup over the oranges. Place parchment paper directly over the surface of the liquid.
  • Bake until the oranges are very soft, about 1 hour. The orange rind should be transparent when they are done.

Make the Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a greased 8-­inch / 20cm square cake pan with greased parchment that goes up the sides to create a sling.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, and butter with a wooden spoon or your fingers until it comes together as a rough dough and all the butter is evenly incorporated.
  • Press the dough into the prepared pan, bringing some of it up the sides. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the top and then rub it smooth.
    Pro Tip: Bringing the filling up the sides will prevent the lemon filling from getting under the crust when you pour it in the pan.
  • Bake in the middle of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until it is deep golden brown. Allow the crust to cool while you prepare the lemon filling.
    Pro Tip: the crust needs to be an even deep caramely golden brown, if it is too pale, the crust will not have a nice snap to it once it is baked with the filling.

Make the Lemon Filling

  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, flour, salt, zest, lemon juice, and bitters until well combined.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F / 165°C. Pour the lemon filling over the still warm crust. Drape a piece of foil over the top of the pan, making sure it doesn’t touch the filling.
    Pro Tip: the foil prevents the bars from developing a skin on the top, which makes for a nicer texture.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, until the center of the lemon filling is just starting to set.
  • Remove the bars from the oven and carefully drape the baked oranges over the filling. Some of them may fall below the surface if the filling is not quite set.
  • Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until it looks like set jello when you gently shake the pan.
  • Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate to fully chill and set the filling, about an hour or overnight.
  • Cut around the edge of the pan, lift the lemon bars out of the pan using the parchment sling and cut using a sharp knife dipped in hot water.