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Cook the Book: Lemon Bars

Posted by Caroline Russock, August 12, 2009 at 1:00 PM

"Nice to meet you, xanthan gum." —Fresh squeezed lemon. Photograph by jamelah on Flickr

Having just returned home from gathering my gluten-free baking supplies, I must say that I am not envious of gluten-intolerant people. It saddens me to think about not being able to enjoy a slice of pizza and a cold beer, or buttered-up slice of toast. But it really pained me to spend almost an entire day searching for ingredients in gluten-free baking. With approximately one in 100 people suffering from celiac disease, you'd think these ingredients would be easier to come by.

My first stop was the fancy market near my house. I knew they carried a variety of gluten-free pastas and snacks, so I assumed that they would carry gluten-free baking supplies too. No dice. Onward to the health food store. They had spelt flour, soy flour, and gluten-free pancake mix but not the white rice flour and xanthan gum. Second health food store, same story. Three health food stores and a few bus rides later, I finally had everything I needed to get started on my gluten-free baking projects.

My first project: lemon bars from Elizabeth Barbone's Easy Gluten-Free Baking. The crust came together almost exactly like a traditional shortbread. The only difference was the sandy texture of the rice flour. I pressed the crust into the pan and set the oven timer for 25 minutes. I was a little concerned at the 30-minute mark, when the crust still hadn't reached golden brown. I gave it five more minutes and like magic, the crust took on some color. I poured the filling into the crust and waited for it to set.

When the lemon bars cooled, I cut them into squares and took a bite of my first ever gluten-free dessert.

How was it? Pretty damn good.

I can honestly give it the highest compliment possible, it tasted like a lemon bar. My only qualm would be the slightly grainy texture of the rice flour, which I think is my own fault for buying the coarser health food store rice flour instead of one purchased from an Asian market. Nonetheless, all of the butter in the shortbread crust more than made up for it. I put the other eleven squares in the fridge and I am looking forward to enjoying them with my coffee tomorrow morning.

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Lemon Bars

- makes 1 dozen bars -
Adapted from Easy Gluten-Free Baking by Elizabeth Barbone.

Ingredients

Gluten-free nonstick cooking spray

Dry Ingredients

1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons water

Topping

2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons white rice flour
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.

2. Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse once or twice to combine. Add the butter; pulse mixture until butter is thoroughly incorporated. (Dough should resemble a coarse meal.) Add water; pulse a few times until a dough forms.

3. Press the mixture into the bottom of a prepared pan. Bake the crust for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Remove the pan from the oven, leaving oven on. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.

5. Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar, white rice flour, and lemon juice. Pour mixture over baked crust.

6. Return pan to oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until filling is set. (Filling should be firm and not jiggle.)

7. Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut into 12 squares.

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Tags: baking, bars, Cook the Book, Easy Gluten-Free Baking, Elizabeth Barbone, gluten-free, lemon bars, lemons