Lemon Bars!
Sour, tangy, acidic. That's what lemons are for me. I didn't really think of lemon as my main ingredient on my future baked goods. Why? Well maybe because its price here in the Philippines is relatively high, just like strawberries. Also, my acidity levels are always on the verge and I keep a big amount of coffee on the list of my weekly intake of acidic foods. That's why lemons are not on my list.
But this early week of February, we went to the chilly yet amazing land of Sagada and we were informed that lemons are one of their main product! We were so surprised as what we have known, lemons are just imported by other countries. So after exploring the historic undergrounds, scenic views, hanging coffins, muddy mountains and warm cafes. We headed to the marketplace and bought a lot of cheap but really fresh vegetables as Sagada is known to be one of the source of the veggies that are sold at SM supermarkets and local wet markets. We were so ecstatic about our vegetable hoarding and at last! We saw their own produce of lemons :)
The BIG greenish thing on the left is the Sagada lemon and on the right corner wearing bright yellow, is I bought from Divisoria (a place in Manila where you can find a lot of things in bargain). I can say that our own produce is not quite tangy, which is by the way my preference :) and as you can see, it is bigger than the usual lemons that we see in the supermarkets. Lemons from Sagada are 80 pesos per kilo (about 4 lemons) and the Divisoria lemons are 100 pesos for 10 pcs. Both are quite cheap compared to the supermarket prices. BUT! Sagada's lemons are waaaaayyyyy juicier than the other. I don't know if I just bought an old stock from Divisoria or Sagada's lemons are just freshly picked when I bought them. Well anyway, I still recommend you to buy some when you get to go to Sagada ;)
There is one restaurant at Sagada that is very famous for their lemon pies. So of course, we went and tried their lemon pie but to my disappointment, I did not finish a slice of it :( I don't know what's famous about their lemon pie but in my taste..it's just sour. Well maybe I am just biased because I like pies that are moist and creamy. Theirs are just like sour jello pudding to me :( And that's the reason why I am writing now ahaha! So I googled a lemon pie recipe and I made sure that it has milk or cream on it. I found one that has graham crackers as a crust and I immediately tried it. I can say that mine is an upgraded version and pretty much creamier than what we had on that restaurant. But unfortunately I wasn't able to take a picture of it so I tried another recipe and here it is, the lemon bars! If you like sweet and sour foods then this recipe is for you! I adapted the recipe from Nestle and tweaked some ingredients a little, most specially the lemon juice. I cut it to 1/2 cup since I don't like them to be too tangy. But if you're into sour thing, then you can follow the real recipe which is 2/3 cup of lemon juice :)
Lemon Bars
Adapted from Nestle
INGREDIENTS:
For the CRUST
2 cups All purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
200g of unsalted butter, softened
For the FILLING
1can (14oz) condensed milk
4 large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 to 3 tablespoon all purpose flour, depending on the consistency of the batter
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salit
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
Sifted powder for toppings (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to to 175°C or 350°F. Prepare an 8x12 inch pan with parchment paper. Preferably hang the parchment paper on the sides, this will be a big help in transferring the baked bars.
2. Combine flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in the butter and cutting it in when it forms some crumbs. Then press this lightly onto bottom and halfway up at the sides of the ungreased pan.
3. Bake the shortbread for 20 minutes or until light brown.
4. While baking the shortbread. Beat condensed milk and eggs in a large mixer bowl for about 3 minutes. Beat in lemon juice, flour, baking powder and salt just until blended. Fold in the lemon zest and pour the batter onto the baked shortbread.
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Chill for 2 hours or overnight then cut into bars. You can sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
But this early week of February, we went to the chilly yet amazing land of Sagada and we were informed that lemons are one of their main product! We were so surprised as what we have known, lemons are just imported by other countries. So after exploring the historic undergrounds, scenic views, hanging coffins, muddy mountains and warm cafes. We headed to the marketplace and bought a lot of cheap but really fresh vegetables as Sagada is known to be one of the source of the veggies that are sold at SM supermarkets and local wet markets. We were so ecstatic about our vegetable hoarding and at last! We saw their own produce of lemons :)
The BIG greenish thing on the left is the Sagada lemon and on the right corner wearing bright yellow, is I bought from Divisoria (a place in Manila where you can find a lot of things in bargain). I can say that our own produce is not quite tangy, which is by the way my preference :) and as you can see, it is bigger than the usual lemons that we see in the supermarkets. Lemons from Sagada are 80 pesos per kilo (about 4 lemons) and the Divisoria lemons are 100 pesos for 10 pcs. Both are quite cheap compared to the supermarket prices. BUT! Sagada's lemons are waaaaayyyyy juicier than the other. I don't know if I just bought an old stock from Divisoria or Sagada's lemons are just freshly picked when I bought them. Well anyway, I still recommend you to buy some when you get to go to Sagada ;)
There is one restaurant at Sagada that is very famous for their lemon pies. So of course, we went and tried their lemon pie but to my disappointment, I did not finish a slice of it :( I don't know what's famous about their lemon pie but in my taste..it's just sour. Well maybe I am just biased because I like pies that are moist and creamy. Theirs are just like sour jello pudding to me :( And that's the reason why I am writing now ahaha! So I googled a lemon pie recipe and I made sure that it has milk or cream on it. I found one that has graham crackers as a crust and I immediately tried it. I can say that mine is an upgraded version and pretty much creamier than what we had on that restaurant. But unfortunately I wasn't able to take a picture of it so I tried another recipe and here it is, the lemon bars! If you like sweet and sour foods then this recipe is for you! I adapted the recipe from Nestle and tweaked some ingredients a little, most specially the lemon juice. I cut it to 1/2 cup since I don't like them to be too tangy. But if you're into sour thing, then you can follow the real recipe which is 2/3 cup of lemon juice :)
Lemon Bars
Adapted from Nestle
INGREDIENTS:
For the CRUST
2 cups All purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
200g of unsalted butter, softened
For the FILLING
1can (14oz) condensed milk
4 large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 to 3 tablespoon all purpose flour, depending on the consistency of the batter
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salit
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
Sifted powder for toppings (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to to 175°C or 350°F. Prepare an 8x12 inch pan with parchment paper. Preferably hang the parchment paper on the sides, this will be a big help in transferring the baked bars.
2. Combine flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in the butter and cutting it in when it forms some crumbs. Then press this lightly onto bottom and halfway up at the sides of the ungreased pan.
3. Bake the shortbread for 20 minutes or until light brown.
4. While baking the shortbread. Beat condensed milk and eggs in a large mixer bowl for about 3 minutes. Beat in lemon juice, flour, baking powder and salt just until blended. Fold in the lemon zest and pour the batter onto the baked shortbread.
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Chill for 2 hours or overnight then cut into bars. You can sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
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