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Lemon bars

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Lemon bars

Postby cherrytree » Sat May 16, 2020 5:31 pm

In this morning’s Feast supplement in the Guardian, lemon bars are mentioned. Apparently they are well known in the USA. So I googled them and sure enough there are quite a few recipes. Has anyone made them on here and why have I never heard of them I wonder. They do look nice. I’m wondering though where I can buy ground rice.

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby smitch » Sat May 16, 2020 5:36 pm

I got ground rice in my local independent whole foods store. I’ve also seen it in Indian grocery shops and online. I used it to make ground rice tarts like my Nan did when I was younger.

I’m not sure if it is the same stuff as rice flour?

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby Pepper Pig » Sat May 16, 2020 6:00 pm

Sainsbury’s sell ground rice. Or they did. My mum used to make a ground rice pudding as an alternative to semolina. You got jam with the ground rice.

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby smitch » Sat May 16, 2020 6:07 pm

There is a recipe for ground rice pudding with cardamom and rosewater on Mamta’s site. Not made it for ages. I used to buy something similar from an Indian sweet centre in Manchester.

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby Amyw » Sat May 16, 2020 7:21 pm

What are they ?

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby Pepper Pig » Sat May 16, 2020 7:59 pm


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Re: Lemon bars

Postby Suelle » Sat May 16, 2020 8:27 pm

cherrytree wrote:In this morning’s Feast supplement in the Guardian, lemon bars are mentioned. Apparently they are well known in the USA. So I googled them and sure enough there are quite a few recipes. Has anyone made them on here and why have I never heard of them I wonder. They do look nice. I’m wondering though where I can buy ground rice.


There are lots of recipes which don't use ground rice, if it's hard to find.

Amyw - they are a bit like a traybake version of a tart au citron - a baked layer of lemon custard on a base of shortbread, or pastry, or biscuit crumb. Many different versions.
Traditional home baking, and more:
http://mainlybaking.blogspot.co.uk/

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby Amyw » Sat May 16, 2020 8:32 pm

Thanks Suelle, I’d never heard of them before either

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby strictlysalsaclare » Sat May 16, 2020 8:53 pm

I have heard of and made them them. I think I used a Good food recipe which sounds very similar to the one you are referring to. I have made them but cut back on the sugar in the topping quite substantially to make them almost mouth puckeringly sour.. We really enjoyed them! i can't remember if I put ground rice in mine though. i may have subbed semolina or cornmeal.

The recipe I used is below.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lemon-bars

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby herbidacious » Sat May 16, 2020 8:59 pm

I've made them. Quite a while ago. I think I used the Smitten Kitchen recipe:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/lemon-bars/

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby herbidacious » Sat May 16, 2020 9:01 pm

They sent us a Times today instead of our Guardian for the second time :evil:

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby cherrytree » Sat May 16, 2020 9:13 pm

There was no Felicity in the Feast supplement if it’s any comfort.

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat May 16, 2020 10:20 pm

On the ground rice front

I have a pack of KTC brand rice flour, packed of course for South Asian cooking. I reckon it’s the same as British ground rice, a bit coarser than wheat flour but finer than semolina

I think I bought it in the world foods aisle in Morrison’s

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby Suelle » Sat May 16, 2020 10:40 pm

Cherrytree - I thought you'd found a recipe with ground rice in the lemon layer! The ground rice in the shortbread layer can be replaced with semolina, fine polenta or just use all flour.
Traditional home baking, and more:
http://mainlybaking.blogspot.co.uk/

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby cherrytree » Sat May 16, 2020 10:45 pm

That’s so helpful. Thank you. As I said in my original post, I’d never heard of these until I read the paper this morning. I’m going to give them a try.

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun May 17, 2020 2:32 am

I´ve eaten them, but never made them.
There's a pastry chef in the USA, however, called Nick Malgieri. Everything I´ve ever seen him make is extraordinary.
Here´s his recipe:
https://www.food.com/recipe/ultimate-lemon-squares-nick-malgieri-363795

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun May 17, 2020 10:28 am

Extraordinary indeed - starts with 16 tablespoons butter - even in the US why not specify 2 sticks (8oz) rather than an unfeasible number of spoonfuls?

Apart from that looks good, basically it’s a fairly plain shortbread similar to that used for millionaire’s/caramel shortbread topped with a kind of lemon curd similar to that used in some lemon tarts - which presumably has to be thick enough not to flow off when cut into bars

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Re: Lemon bars

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun May 17, 2020 1:56 pm

Hadn´t noticed that, Sue! Evidently a pastry chef who has an entire bucketload of soft butter right next to him. Unlike we normal folks! :gonzo

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