Lemon Meringue Bars with a Poppyseed Shortbread Crust
These bars are a texture lovers dream (aka my dream). A crumbly, buttery shortbread crust with a touch of earthiness from the poppyseeds, topped with a thick and zingy lemon curd, and finished by the fluffy, marshmallow-y sweetness of perfectly whipped Swiss meringue. If you’re looking for the perfect elevated summer dessert, this twist on the classic and delicious lemon bar recipe is going to hit the spot!
The Crust
The lemon bar crust involves using a pastry cutter to incorporate cold butter chunks into our flour mixture. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, two forks will do! We aren’t looking to create a traditional cookie dough, but rather a crumbly mixture with small butter flakes dispersed throughout.
If you’re not a fan of poppyseeds, you can feel free to omit them without making any other changes to the crust. If you’re indifferent or on the fence–I recommend trying them out! The earthiness/nutiness of the poppyseeds balance out how sweet and vibrant the rest of the lemon bar is.
The Lemon Curd
Perhaps the simplest part of this whole thing, I have no secret tips or tricks for you.
The Meringue
If you have pasteurized egg whites on hand, you can completely skip the part where we heat up the sugar and egg whites; this process is how we are pasteurizing the eggs ourselves! Be sure to have your thermometer handy so that you know exactly when to transfer the liquid into your mixing bowl.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Line an 8×8 or 11×7 pan with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients until well combined. Add butter chunks in a handful at a time, and use your pastry cutter to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until no large pieces remain and the texture is crumbly. The mixture should stick together when pinched.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the pan firmly, creating an even and compact layer. Bake for 25 minutes or until the sides are golden.
- Whisk together the flour and sugar until combined. Add the eggs and mix until just combined. Finally, add lemon juice and lemon zest, and whisk once more until just combined into a runny mixture.
- Once the shortbread is done baking, remove the pan from the oven and pour the curd over the crust. Return the pan to the oven and reduce heat to 325 F before baking for 25 minutes.
- After the bars are done baking, allow to cool before transferring to the fridge to set for about two hours.
- Pour sugar and egg whites into a medium sized pot BEFORE turning on the stovetop. Turn heat to low and whisk continuously until mixture has hit 160 F. As soon as the temperature is reached, give it another big whisk to even out any "hot spots", and pour directly into your stand mixer. Add cream of tartar.
- Using a whisk attachment, whip egg white mixture on medium for 7-10 minutes or until stiff peaks form; as you approach the 7 minute mark, add in your vanilla extract.
- If you have a kitchen torch–spread the meringue on top of the bars generously and torch to your heart's content! If you DO NOT HAVE A KITCHEN TORCH–remove the bars from the ban and peel off parchment paper. The bars should still stay in one piece. Return the bars to the pan and top generously with meringue. Set your oven to BROIL, and allow the pan to sit under the broiler for 1-2 minutes; keep a close eye on things because it can burn quickly! Once the tops have browned, remove and allow to set in the fridge for five minutes. Cut and serve!
