This post is dedicated to my daughter, Hayley, who just finished Whole30 and is now transitioning to a Paleo lifestyle. Wooooooooo Hooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Go Hayley! As a way to celebrate her awesome accomplishment, I made her some Paleo-friendly lemon bars.
As part of her victory celebration, she and I met at a really cool place for brunch, called "Eggs in the City" in SLC, Utah. While I sat at in the parking lot and waited for her to arrive, I was thinking, "If this café is this packed at 10:30 a.m., what's it like during breakfast or lunch?" But I must admit, the food was AWESOME and totally worth the wait!
After we left the restaurant, we both went out to my car for 'the goods'. It was quite amusing--both of us standing there, cramming lemon bars in our faces and exclaiming words of ecstasy (people must have thought we were doing something . . . illegal? . . . ;-))
Anyway, these bars are WAY GOOD!
Anyway, these bars are WAY GOOD!
Ingredients
For the custard:
4 large eggs
3/4 C. lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
1/2 C. pure honey
1/2 C. butter (salted; grass fed)
1 tsp. lemon zest
For the crust:
3 C. blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
2 large egg whites
1/4 C. coconut oil (melted)
1/4 C. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, thoroughly mix the crust ingredients. With your fingers, press the dough--very firmly and evenly--into the bottom of 7" X 11" coconut oil-greased baking dish, or similar size (you may want to line the bottom of the dish with parchment paper--greased--cause the crust sticks a little.) Bake for approx. 15 min., or until lightly browned.
To prepare the custard, in a skillet and on low heat, whisk the lemon juice, zest, and honey until well dissolved. Then whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and keep whisking. When they're well mixed in and whisked for about a minute, slowly whisk in the butter, one cube at a time, until it's all blended in. Keep whisking until the mixture begins to thicken to the texture of a pudding--about 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator--cover the custard with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a thick layer from forming on top (or strain the chilled custard through a piece of cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve strainer.)
Smooth the custard over the baked crust and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Allow it to completely cool before cutting into bars. Makes about 12 lemon bars. Enjoy!!
(Adapted from this great recipe--> "The Nourishing Home")