Ina Garten-Inspired Lemon Bars

Compiled by Igor Kukolj, Editor. Nobody here has cooked this — how these are made.

The pale, soggy seam between the curd and the shortbread is the classic lemon bar fault, and it is entirely a matter of timing.

Pour the filling onto the base while the base is still hot from the oven. The underside of the curd begins to set the instant it touches a 175°C surface, forming a thin barrier that seals the shortbread instead of soaking into it. Wait until the base has cooled and the liquid filling wicks straight down into the crumb, and no amount of extra baking will separate them again.

Have the curd whisked and ready before the base comes out. This step has a window of about a minute.

Bake the base until it is properly dry

Underbaked shortbread is a sponge whatever you pour on it. Twenty minutes, until it is pale gold, dry to the touch and firm at the centre — not the barely-set stage most recipes stop at. It gets another thirty minutes under the filling, so a little colour now is fine.

Do not whisk air into the curd

Bubbles beaten into the filling rise during baking and set as a foamy, mottled layer on top instead of a smooth glassy one. Whisk it just enough to combine, and if it looks frothy, let it stand for five minutes and skim the surface before pouring.

Cut them cold and wipe the knife

Warm curd drags and every bar looks worse than the last. Chilled through, a thin knife wiped clean between cuts gives sharp edges. Dust the sugar on afterwards — dusted first, it dissolves along the cut lines.

Storing

Four days in the fridge, covered. They freeze for three months, cut, with paper between layers. Dust with fresh icing sugar after thawing; the first lot will have dissolved.