Cooking with Chef Jo: Citrus Bars

The cold dreary days of winter tells me that winter ain't done with us yet. The fact that we still are having snow falls, flurries, and ice reinforces that point even though some of our daytime highs are in the 60s to 70s. But as usual in wintertime in the NE Georgia mountains, the dreariness is caused by rain. Nothing reminds me of sunshine and spring is coming more than my citrus bars! The crisp but chewy cookie base and a thick layer of curd of lemon, tangerine, and orange juices just lifts my spirits away from the gray skies of winter. It's a little bit of sunshine in every bite and it's tasty too!

Our potted citrus trees start producing their fruits in the beginning of winter between October and February. So there's plenty of fresh citrus to be had. Everyone could use a great vitamin C booster too. I still remember my oldest daughter eating lemons without sugar as you would any other fruit from the time since she was old enough to raid the refrigerator. So needless to say, this dessert is one of her favorites.

Jo's Citrus Bars
9 hearty servings- 9" square pan

What you'll need
For the crust:
 2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt.,
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter
1/3 cup cold water.

Putting it together

• Mix together the flours, sugar and salt. 
• Slice up the butter and using your (clean) hands mix up the batter until it is very crumbly. 
• Stir in the water and mix to form a ball (you may need to add slightly more water if your dough doesn't stick together).
•  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator over night or in the freezer for 30 min to an hour.

What you'll need

For the filling:

8 large egg yolks
1 1/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 TBS tangerine zest
1 TBS orange zest
1/2 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1/4 cup tangerine juice (about 3 tangerines)
1/2 cup orange juice ( 1 orange)
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 Tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter, softened

Putting it together

• Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt into the top pot of your double boiler. 
• Using a whisk, beat until completely blended, then continue to whisk as the curd cooks. 
• Constant whisking prevents the egg yolks from curdling. If you see floaty white or yellow bits in the curd, your egg has curdled.
• Whisk and cook until the mixture becomes thick, resembling the texture of a loose pudding, about 10 minutes. If curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.
• Remove pan from heat. 
• Cut the butter into 12 separate pieces, then stir into the curd one at a time stirring well after each addition.
• The butter will melt from the heat of the curd. 
• Pour curd into a jar or bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. (This prevents a skin from forming on top.) 
• The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. 
• Once cool, the plastic wrap can be removed.

Making the bars-

• Push the crust evenly on the bottom of a parchment lined 9x9 pan.
• Prick the crust to allow steam to release as it bakes.
• Baked 10 minutes at 400 degrees.The crust will be a golden brown.
• Pour curd on top of the crust.
• Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. The curd should be firm and lightly browned.
• Let bars cool on a rack for 5 minutes before sprinkling powdered sugar on top thickly with a fine mesh strainer.
• Allow bars to cool completely and slice into 9 squares.

Serving suggestion- when plating before service, Top with thin slices of lemon or tangerine well coated with sugar, or candied fruit twists. Usually mine are gone as soon as it cools. The whole house will smell of citrus fruits and draw the crowd into the kitchen. To save some for actually eating as a dessert, I have to bake two pans. One I'll slice into nine squares and the other one into 18 bars. The 18 bar pan will be for snacking. I hate depriving anyone. Nobody leaves my house hungry. If they do, it's their own blasted fault. 😁😜

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo