Blood Orange + Brown Sugar Bars

The Cosmopolitan Older Cousin to the Lemon Curd Bar

I’ve been pretty obsessed with blood oranges for the past several years. I’m not sure if it’s the vivid hue, the sweet-tart flavor, or just their overall exotic nature that reminds me of my trip to Italy, but I love anything blood orange. My craving satisfiers are usually limited to Fage yogurts or Sanpellegrino sodas, but sometimes I’ll luck up on a random bag of fresh fruit at the grocery store. During my last find, I decided to try using them in a dessert to showcase their mild sweetness and bold color (instead of sitting on the couch and devouring them one by one).

These bars are definitely a play on the traditional lemon bar, which layers tangy lemon curd atop a crumbly shortbread crust. With my version, blood oranges obviously take center stage over lemons, but I also infuse the curd with fresh mint and pair it with a deep, rich, crispy brown sugar shortbread crust. The flavor combination of the mildly sour citrus + molasses-sweet sugar + bright, fragrant herb was absolutely beautiful. 

Blood Orange stars with a mildly sour flavor

Brown Sugar adds a rich sweetness

Mint gives a boost of pungency and fragrance 

I’ll have to be honest, though. The flavors worked from the start, but my original method was pretty much a fail; the filling decided to never set.  After playing around with the method a bit, I decided to just use a modified version of the Cook’s Illustrated Perfect Lemon Bar recipe. In their method the crust and curd filling are made separately then combined and baked, which definitely helps set the filling. I’ve used the pre-cooked curd technique before on key lime cheesecakes and grapefruit bars, so I should have known it would work better. Either way, I did end up getting it right in the end.

The two elements of this dessert are both really simple to create. The curd thickens rather quickly over medium-low heat, so I feel better standing over it and stirring constantly. Don’t let babysitting scare you off, because as long as you watch out for steam and remove the pan before the mixture starts to boil, you’ll be just fine. The shortbread is an even easier process that can be handled in a food processor in one shot. The mixture will feel very course and crumbly, but the moisture from the butter allows it to easily be pressed in the pan. Try to time your crust baking so that it is still warm when you pour the curd on top of it.

Dish Design Guide

Blood Orange + Brown Sugar Bars

Mise en Place

Curd:

4 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup blood orange juice, freshly squeezed

Juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed

Mint leaves, roughly chopped

Zest of 1 blood orange

Crust:

12 Tablespoons butter, diced

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment:

Saucepan

Strainer, suspended over a bowl

9x13-inch pan, lined in foiled + greased

Food processor

Method

Curd:

Beat whole eggs, egg yolks, flour and sugar in saucepan with a wooden spoon until smooth

Add orange juice, lemon juice and mint; cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened (still liquid, NOT boiling)

Pour into strainer and press to remove mint leaves and any lumps; stir in orange zest

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Pulse butter, sugar, flour, salt in food processor until well mixed

Press evenly into the bottom of the pan and build a slight edge up the sides

Bake until lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes

Combo:

Reduce oven temperature to 300 F

Pour the curd over the warm crust and return to oven

Bake until curd filling is just set, about 10-15 minutes

Cool completely to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting

Notes

Prevent curd from boiling by constant stirring and removing at the first sign of steam

Make sure there are no cracks when pressing shortbread crust mixture into pan

Pour curd on top of shortbread while the crust is still warm

Serve cut bars cold