A delicious sweet-tart combination of lemon curd and an almond flour crust make this take on traditional lemon bars gluten-free and kosher for Passover.
Course Dessert, bars
Ingredients
Crust
1½cupsalmond flour (120g)see note on making your own from whole almonds
2tablespoonsbutter melted (29g)
2tablespoonssugar (25g)
Lemon Curd
½cupsugar (100g)
zestfrom one lemon
⅓cupfresh lemon juice (76g)to mwill be 1-3 lemons depending on size
½cupbutter (113g) cut into pieces
confectioners' sugar for dusting on top
Instructions
Crust
Preheat oven to 350 °F and line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. I create a parchment sling to make the bars easier to remove from the pan without breaking.
Mix together the ground almonds, melted butter, and sugar. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 350 °F for 8-10 minutes until the crust is just beginning to turn golden brown.
Remove the an from the oven and allow the crust to cool. Turn the oven down to 300 °F.
Lemon Curd
The curd is cooked gently in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. You want to use a medium to large heatproof glass or metal bowl that will nest into the pot of water leaving a gap between the bowl and the water. Place the pot of water onto the stove, bring it up to a simmer (a very low bare bubbling boil).
In your heat-proof bowl that fits over your pot (double-check this before you start pouring ingredients) whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Place your bowl onto the pot of simmering water. Stirring frequently, add the butter a few pieces at a time letting the pieces melt before adding more. Once all the butter is incorporated, leave the bowl over the simmering water and continue to stir frequently for another 10-12 minutes until the lemon curd has thickened and coats the back of the spoon.
Remove the curd from the heat and strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any chunky bits. Allow the curd to cool to room temperature, then spread the curd over the crust. Bake the bars at 300 °F for 18-20 minutes or until the filling is set.
Let the bars cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for two or more hours until the filling is set.
Use the parchment sling to remove the bars from the pan. Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
To make the almond flour, take 1 cup (142g) of almonds (can be blanched or unblanched) and use a food processor or blender to grind the almonds to a fine powder. Be careful not to over grind or you will end up with almond butter.