Spring is in the air! I realized that when I woke up this morning to the sound of grass cutters and birds chirping. It would have been a better morning if I hadn’t woke up to my {male} dog strategically sitting on my hand. But I’m not going to go there; I’m just not.
I woke up craving citrus. I wanted something light and fruity and then I remembered I had a pomelo in the kitchen I needed to do something with. I’m not a fan of grapefruit but do enjoy the tartness on occasion; pomelo is a wonderful substitute. My goal was to find something light and fitting to the day; spring worthy. To do this I went on a hunt for pomelo recipes but was disappointed with my findings. Most what I found were recipes for salads – I wanted a dessert.
I did find a recipe for Pomelo Citrus Bars over at The Kitchn which looked fantastic so I knew it was possible. I decided I wanted to make a Early Spring Citrus Bars. I got busy making my crust, which was a basic shortbread crust. I used a 9×13 inch dish since I couldn’t find anything else (it’s a mess down there!) I put the crust in the oven for 20 minutes and went to work on the filling. Now, I know a lot of people prefer the no bake filling for lemon bars, but I absolutely love that little bit of crispness on the top of mine.
Once the crust had baked and the filling was ready it was time to put that baby in the oven. After about 5 minutes in the oven the entire kitchen had a beautiful yet light citrus aroma; oh it was divine! The next part was the hardest, letting them cool before cutting into them. I did make sure to put some powdered sugar on top before it cooled. This gives it a little more adhesiveness as opposed to putting it on there cold. When I finally did get to cut into them they were absolutely perfect with just the right amount of chewiness. The orange zest helped enhance the pomelo flavor without overpowering it – that was the goal.
- CRUST:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 stick butter, softened
- ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon pomelo zest
- FILLING:
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup pomelo juice
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- In a medium – large bowl, combine the crust ingredients thoroughly; making sure to evenly spread out the butter.
- Press the crust mixture into a 9×13 (or whatever is handy) baking dish. Get the crust as smooth and even as possible, making sure there are no cracks.
- Bake the crust for 25 minutes.
- In a medium bowl beat 3 eggs into the sugar. Carefully add the corn starch & baking soda, incorporate everything together.
- Slowly whisk in the pomelo juice and orange zest and beat until frothy.
- Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 25 minutes or until a nice golden crust starts to form (not too much.)
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes and dust the top with powdered sugar. Cool completely before cutting and serving.