Lemon Meringue Bars With Poppy Seed Crust Recipes

POPPY SEED-LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
• Combine butter and confectioners' sugar in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour, salt, and cardamom; mix until just combined. Stir in poppy seeds until evenly distributed. Press dough evenly into the prepared baking dish with floured hands.
• Bake crust in the preheated oven until edges are just starting to brown, about 18 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, combine sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and stir until just combined.
• As soon as the crust comes out of the oven, pour the filling into it and return to the oven.
• Bake until filling is puffy and lightly browned around the edges, about 30 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely before cutting into 16 squares. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar.

LEMON MERINGUE BARS WITH POPPY SEED CRUST

Steps:

• To make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, taking care to cover the corners as well. Lightly butter the foil.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, cornstarch, lemon zest and salt together. Add the butter and mix until well combined. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• Just before the crust is finished baking, prepare the filling: Combine sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Rub zest into sugar with your fingertips until well combined and fragrant. Add flour and salt. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks, followed by the lemon juice.
• When the crust is finished baking, turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Pour the filling over the hot crust and return the pan to the oven. Bake until filling is set, but just slightly wiggly in the center, about 23 to 25 more minutes. While the bars are baking, prepare the meringue.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and cornstarch. Whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is foamy. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, and whip until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and salt and mix briefly to combine.
• When filling is set, remove pan from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Carefully spoon and spread the meringue over the hot bars, then set it under the broiler until the meringue is deep golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the heat of the broiler. Keep a close eye on the meringue during this process. It can go from perfectly golden to scorched in mere moments. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

LEMON-POPPY SEED BARS

Steps:

• Make crust:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
• 2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed. Add the salt, sugar, and vanilla, and continue to beat until light but not fluffy. Lower the speed and add the flour. Mix until just combined.
• 3. Spread the dough into the bottom of an 8 by 8-inch pan, patting with your fingers and smoothing the top with an offset metal or rubber spatula if necessary.
• 4. Bake until light golden brown around the edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Do not turn off the oven.
• Make poppy seed layer:
• Place the poppy seeds, sugar and 1/4 cup cold water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Let boil for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Add the butter and stir until incorporated. Remove from the heat immediately and spread the poppy seed mixture evenly over the baked cookie crust. Set aside.
• Make lemon filling:
• 1. Place 3/4 cup cold water and the cornstarch into a medium nonreactive saucepan and whisk to dissolve the cornstarch.
• 2. Add the sugar and egg yolks and whisk to combine. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• 3. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter. Whisk until smooth. Pour the lemon filling evenly over the poppy seed layer.
• Make topping:
• 1. Using a handheld mixer or in a the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggwhites on medium-high speed. When the whites peak softly, slowly add the sugar. Continue whipping until firm (but not stiff) peaks are formed.
• 2. Fold in the cornstarch, and then the poppy seeds. Cover the lemon filling completely and dab the top to make attractive swirled points. Bake until the meringue browns, about 18 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Cut into 8 large bars.

LEMON MERINGUE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Make crust: Put butter, flour, confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted withthe paddle attachment. Mix on mediumspeed until well blended.
• Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Press batter evenly into baking sheet. Chill in freezer 10 minutes. Bake until golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Make filling: Whisk together whole eggs, 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pour over crust. Bake until filling is set, 18 to20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wirerack. Keep oven at 350.
• Make meringue topping: Put egg whites and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread meringue over filling, swirling to create soft peaks. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars. Bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 day.