Lemon-Champagne Bars with Strawberry Brulee Topping

Man, that's a mouthful!! (Both the name and bars themselves).  Haha, I made a funny... ... excuse me, I'm tired.  I've had the most productive weekend that I've ever had in my life.  I've cooked and cleaned and mowed (first time ever!) and cooked and cleaned and did some electrically wiring (for serious) and cooked and cleaned and planted a tree.  Oh, and I did ALL the laundry in the house.  So I need a weekend to recoup from my weekend, but alas, off to work tomorrow I go.  Good thing I have a small cache of recipes I can update in times like this. 

Tonight I offer you Rebecca Rather the Pastry Queen's Lemon-Champagne Bars with Strawberry Brulee Topping.  You might remember (though you probably don't) that I received this cookbook as a gift and have tried a few recipes with disappointing results.  Well, this try was mixed.  Overall, the bars taste great.  They have this wonderfully creamy, perfectly balanced tart and sweet lemon cream.  The sweet strawberries really complement the lemon.  The crust is pretty awesome,  not crisp or chewy.  BUT the brulee topping was a pain in the hiney.  Yet another recipe with instructions that just don't work.  So, I would use this recipe again (the bars were hit) but I'd do it a little differently.

Lemon-Champagne Bars with Strawberry Brulee Topping

(from Rebecca Rather, The Pastry Queen, pg 147-148)

CRUST

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• zest of 2 lemons, preferably organic
• 1/2 cup raspberry or strawberry jam (I used strawberry)

LEMON FILLING

• 6 large egg yolks
• 6 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup champagne or brut sparkling wine
• 3/4 cup chilled, unsalted butter

STRAWBERRY BRULEE TOPPING

• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled
• 1/2 cup sugar

 To make the crust: 

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooping spray.  Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed about 3 minutes, until creamy.  Add the flour, salt, and zest.  Beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated.  Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.  Let cool about 10 minutes.  Spread the jam evenly over the cooled crust.  Turn the oven down to 350F.

To make the lemon filling:

Whisk the egg yolks, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and champagne in a large bowl set over a saucepan with 2 inches  of simmering water.  Cook about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the mixture thickens.  Cut the cold butter into tablespoon-size pieces.  Whisk the butter, one piece at a time, into the lemon mixture.  Cook about 10 minutes longer, whisking occasionally.  The mixture will be thick and puddinglike.

Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  Cool the bars, then refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.  (if you are in a hurry, they'll get sufficiently cold after 1 hour in the freezer.)

To make the topping:

Slice the strawberries thinly and arrange them in a single layer on top of the lemon filling.  Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the strawberries.  Use a kitchen torch to melt the sugar until it is brown and crackly; or put the bars under a hot broiler for about 1 minute, until the sugar melts and browns.  (My strawberries created too much liquid, preventing the sugar from browning, and then charred around the edges.  Next time, I would do the sugar on top of the lemon mixture, torch it to get it crisp and brown, and then lay the strawberries on top.)

Serve immediately.