.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Kirby House Lemon Bars

Kirby House Lemon Bars

The Kirby House Cookbook was first published in November 2001. 5000 copies were sold through the restaurant, retail outlets, book stores and online. It went through a second printing and there are just a few of those copies left. Because the restaurant has changed hands and the menu offerings are not the same, the book will soon be a collector’s item.

Although I had compiled family and cooking class cookbooks, this was my first attempt at a professional cookbook . . . and I learned a lot! From the conversion of large quantity recipes for home use to page set up, to marketing, it was quite an adventure . . . and it lead to a career in catering and also to present day endeavors — cooking classes and food writing.

This recipe for Lemon Bars was in the dessert notebook used in the kitchen at the Kirby House. Since the recipe was already in a workable size for home use, I simply had to type and format it for the book. Coconut is an unusual ingredient in the recipe and I have to admit that I often leave it out . . . as I did in the batch I recently made (I also omitted the nuts when I made this batch).

Even though the restaurant has now changed hands, the cookbooks are still available by calling 785-263-0300 (Daylight Donut Shop), or contact Vangie Henry at Applemint Catering.

Old-Fashioned Lemon Bars Yield: One 9 x 13 x 2 -inch baking pan

Lemon Filling

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter

3 large egg yolks, beaten

1/4 cup lemon juice

1. Mix sugar and butter in saucepan (avoid using an untreated aluminum saucepan as the acid in the lemon juice may react with the aluminum creating a discoloration of the filling; anodized aluminum or stainless steel will NOT create this effect). Heat and stir until blended.

Sugar and butter are heating.

2. Temper beaten eggs and then slowly whisk eggs and lemon juice into the hot mixture. To Temper: slowly add a hot liquid to eggs: 1) place eggs in a mixing bowl and beat with a wire whisk, 2) slowly drizzle up to half of the hot mixture into egg yolks whisking constantly, 3) then, blend the tempered egg mixture into the hot ingredients in saucepan. This procedure will gradually raise the temperature of the eggs without making them curdle.

Tempering the eggs.

3. Once eggs are tempered and completely blended into hot mixture, continue to cook and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until thick and just bubbling. To further insure a completely smooth sauce, it can be run through a mesh strainer at this point.

Lemon mixture is thick & ready to remove from heat.

To make sure the sauce is smooth, run it through a mesh strainer.

4. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2/3 cup flaked coconut, toasted*

1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease the baking pan or spray with non-stick pan coating. (I lined the pan with foil that extended over the edges of the pan so that I could lift our the baked bars for easy cutting.)

2. In a medium to large size bowl, using an electric mixer, combine flour, sugar and soda. Cut in butter only until crumbly (over mixing will create a dough rather than a crumbled mixture). Reserve 1½ cups crumb mixture and mix with coconut and pecans; set aside.

The mixer makes easy work of cutting the butter into the dry ingredients.

3. Press remaining crumbs into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes; cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce oven to 350°.

Remaining crumb mixture is dumped in a foil lined pan that has been sprayed.

Hands are the best tool for pressing the crumb evenly so they cover the entire pan.

This is what the baked crust looks like when it is removed from the oven.

4. To assemble: After 10 minute cooling, spread lemon filling over crust; then sprinkle crumb mixture over top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Lemon Bars fresh out of the oven.

5. Chill to further set the lemon filling. When cool, cut as desired. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Bench Knives.

Tips For Cutting Bars: Use a Bench Knife for easy cutting of bar cookies. Simply use the cutter to press directly down, then lift and move down the row. Because this involves a “lift and cut” technique, rather than the dragging of a knife, ragged edges are avoided.

* Toasting Coconut (2 methods)

Oven Method: Spread 1 cup flaked or shredded coconut in a thin layer in a 15”x10” baking pan. Bake at 350° for 4 to 5 minutes or until light golden brown. For even browning, stir and turn with a pancake turner after 2 minutes, and then every minute. Keep coconut spread in a thin layer. Remove from oven and cool on paper towels.
Microwave Method: Place 1 cup flaked or shredded coconut in a 2-cup glass measure. Microwave on high for 2 1/2 to 4 minutes or until toasted. Stir after the first minute, then every 30 seconds. Cool on paper towels.

Recipe w/out photos: