Gluten-Free Lemon Bakewell #Recipe by @LibbyKlein #Mother'sDay

Libby Klein Last Christmas, I bought a jar of Lemon Passionfruit Curd that I had planned on eating with scones. That just never happened because I was too busy trying to finish writing my next book to make scones. And being gluten-free, just buying it from the store is not something I can do very often. So I came across this recipe from Scrummy Lane for Lemon Bakewell Slices and it sounded perfect. 

I've adjusted it to be gluten-free. And the first attempt was rather. I don't know if that's a British thing or if the gluten-free flour didn't play nicely with the recipe, but I've made a couple of adjustments to tenderize the bars. Let me know what you think. And if you're British or have experience with British delicacies, let me know about your Bakewell experience in the comments.

Gluten-Free Lemon Bakewell

Yield: 1 9x13 pan

Ingredients:

Pastry

2 1/2 cups gluten-free one-to-one flour blend

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp powdered sugar
zest of 1 lemon

6 Tbsp cold butter

1 egg

1-4 Tbsp lemon juice

Filling

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

zest of 2 lemons

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups almond meal

4 Tbsp gluten-free flour

1 cup lemon curd

1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds

Directions:

For the Pastry layer

In the bowl of your food processor, add the gluten-free flour, salt, powdered sugar, and lemon zest. Pulse until combined. Then add your cold butter cubes. Pulse until you form a crumbly mixture. Add the egg and 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and pulse again. You want a cohesive dough that isn't too dry or too wet. Add additional tablespoons of lemon juice until the dough begins to pull away from the side and form a ball. Think pie crust.

Pat into a flat rectangle between two sheets of parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take out the dough and roll into a rectangle the size of a 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Make the filling

Beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and fully combine. Add the ground almonds and the gluten-free flour. Don't overmix.

Spread the lemon curd over the pastry base until just about the very edge. 

Smooth the top with the almond cake filling. Then sprinkle with sliced almonds. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned on top. Let cool, and cut into bars.

P.S - That Citrus Passion fruit curd was delicious.

 

Gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister and her aunt Ginny are looking forward to a quiet, homey Christmas at their B&B in Cape May, but unfortunately, death isn’t taking a holiday this year . . .

Ever since Thanksgiving, Poppy and her pals have been left with an unsolved mystery of the romantic kind. But at least this mystery isn’t the kind that involves murder. That all changes when the body of a fish supplier is discovered in the kitchen of her ex’s restaurant—and he’s frozen, not fresh.

For once, it’s not Poppy who tripped over the corpse, yet she can’t escape being drawn in since the victim has a note taped to him reading Get Poppy. Figures—an engagement ring isn't labeled, but the dead guy is addressed to her. Now, while Aunt Ginny plans a tree-trimming party and pressures Poppy to decode a mysterious old diary, the amateur sleuth is asked to “unofficially” go undercover at the restaurant to help the police. Until then, the only crime Poppy had been dealing with was Figaro’s repeated thefts of bird ornaments from the tree; now it looks like it’s going to be a murder-y Christmas after all.

 

Libby Klein grew up in Cape May, NJ where she attended high school in the '80s. Her

classes revolved mostly around the Culinary sciences and Drama, with one brilliant semester in Poly-Sci that may have been an accident. She loves to drink coffee, bake gluten-free goodies, collect fluffy cats, and translate sarcasm for people who are too serious. She writes from her Northern Virginia office where she serves a very naughty black smoke Persian named Sir Figaro Newton. You can keep up with her shenanigans by signing up for her Mischief and Mayhem Newsletter on her website. www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/

Lemon Bars with a gluten-free tweak + book and tote bag #giveaway from author @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl:

I'm sharing a delicious lemon bar recipe below!!  So don't miss it.  But first...two announcements.

One:

My new suspense FAN MAIL comes out next week. To celebrate, I'm giving away a CHOICE OF MY PUBLISHED BOOKS plus a tote bag to one commenter IF commenter mentions this book to someone. In the comments, you have to tell me WHO...

By the way, the e-book of FAN MAIL is still available at a discount if you preorder.
 

Two:

I just got back from Bouchercon, a writers' conference in Dallas, TX. Had a great time, but I'm exhausted.  Saw lots of friends, fans, librarians, and more. I've shared a bunch of photos on my Facebook author page, but here are a few.

Former MLK'er Jenn McKinlay (left), me, and Lucy

Former MLK'er Julie Hyzy and me

One of my best writing buddies, in my Plothatchers group

Terrific bookstore guys from Murder by the Book

One of my favorite reviewers, Leslie Storey, Storeybook Reviews

With my darling pal Hannah Dennison who has moved back to England!

And, now, here something that is SO DELICIOUS.

I saw this on Sally’s Baking Addiction, from her cookbook, but I tweaked it to be gluten-free.

Lemon Bars (with my gluten-free tweak)

Per Sally, you only need 7 ingredients to make these lemon bars.  For Gluten-free, you need 9 (including xanthan gum and an addition of cornstarch for the lemon curd).

The lemon curd filling is extra thick and creamy and sits on an irresistible butter shortbread crust. 

Note from Sally:  Always bake lemon bars at a lower temperature to avoid over-baking.  Perfect for picnics, bake sales, baby showers, and bridal showers.

I was amazed how perfectly the lemon curd turned out. It was thick and luscious.

Butter: melted butter is the base of the shortbread crust.

Sugar:  do not reduce or the filling will be too wet.

Flour: if you make using Sally’s recipe, this gives structure. I make it using gluten-free items and they worked beautifully.

Vanilla extract:  Sally says not all lemon bar recipes call for vanilla extract, but it’s her best kept secret.

Salt: without the salt, the crust would be too sweet.

Eggs:  Eggs are the structure for the curd. Without them, you will have soup.

2 tricks:

Use a glass pan:  Do not use metal.  It will seep into the lemony taste.

Lemon juice:  No matter what, you must use real lemons. I have a cheap Black and Decker lemon squeezer that worked wonders.

Tip:  If you notice air bubbles on top of your baked lemon bars, don’t fret. It’s normal. It’s from the air in the eggs rising to the surface. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and it will cover them right up.

BIG NOTE:

I halved the recipe and it was plenty. Made a 9 x 9 batch.  Also, I did use a metal pan but the parchment paper I used as a liner kept any metallic flavor from seeping in.

FOR THE Shortbread

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup + 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

FILLING

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons gluten-free flour + 1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 large eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 – 3 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Either use a glass pan or line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out.  This makes cutting easier.  Set aside.

Make the crust:  In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together.  Add the gluten-free flour and xanthan gum and stir to completely combine.  It will be thick.  Press firmly and evenly into prepared pan.

Pre-bake the crust so it will hold up under the lemon layer.  Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. 

Make the filling:  Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Sifting helps!  Add the eggs and lemon juice and whisk until combined.

Pour filling over warm crust.  Bake the bars for 20-22 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles.  Remove bars from oven and cool completely for about 2 hours at room temperature.  Then stick in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours until chilled.   Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Freezing:  Yes, they may be frozen.  For up to 3-4 months.  Cut the cooled bars, without confectioners’ sugar topping, into squares.  Place on a baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour.  Individually wrap each bar in plastic wrap and place in a large bag or freezer container to freeze.  Thaw in the refrigerator and then dust with confectioners’ sugar.

These holes are normal!!

 

Giveaway

Leave a comment and tell me who you TOLD about Fan Mail
(sister, mother, friend, librarian, bookseller??)

and you'll be entered to win a copy of
YOUR CHOICE OF MY PUBLISHED BOOKS, 

plus a Savor the Mystery tote bag. 

Winner picked Friday. Leave your email so I can contact you if you win.

Order DESOLATE SHORES, first in series, HERE, trade paperback and e-book

Order SIFTING THROUGH CLUES HERE, trade paperback and e-book

SAVOR THE MYSTERY!

 

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Plus check out my website

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Two More Cookie Finalists!

Last year I was the only one choosing recipes and baking cookies.  There are five of us participating this year and it has been interesting to watch how recipes are selected.  Just like everyone in the world, we all have our favorites -- favorite textures, and favorite flavors.  Some of us choose cookies based on what our families like.  Some recipes have been selected because of fond memories of a similar cookie.  And some of us (count me in!) have trouble picking only two recipes.  So just a few of us piggies will be posting three recipes instead of two.  Hey!  We have to bake Christmas cookies for our friends and families anyway.  Right?

The second finalist is Lemon Bars Deluxe from Lynn in Texas.  This will come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog.  I've been sending out not-at-all subtle hints that I wanted a lemon square recipe.  Cleone Hawkinson sent us a very similar lemon square recipe, but -- poor Cleone.  Her daughter-in-law, Wendy, mentioned their relationship.  We decided that it wouldn't be fair to include family members.  So, Cleone, thank you for sending your recipe!  Wendy is lucky to have such a lovely mother-in-law!

On to Lynn's Lemon Bars Deluxe.  Aside from having a craving for lemon bars, there are a couple of things I particularly like about the recipe.  The main thing is that it can be frozen.  It's so handy to be able to cook them ahead of time and thaw them for Christmas festivities.  If you read my mysteries, you know that Sophie always has stashes in the freezer that she can pull out to serve at the last minute.  Apparently, these also survive three days at room temperature!  That would make them very practical for anyone who has to take baked goods with them on a car trip to Grandma's house.

Lynn notes that they're time-consuming.  They are in that the crust has to be refrigerated before it's baked.  But if you happen to have your Christmas card list nearby or you need to walk the dogs, that's a great time to do it.


Here's what Lynn said~

Now I recall the recipe was time-consuming but seemed worth the effort as I made it more than once!  Here it is:

Lemon Bars Deluxe

Yields about 2 dozen bars

Crust:

Extra softened butter for greasing pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Lightly butter a 13- x 9-inch baking dish and line with parchment or wax paper allowing edges to come over the sides.

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Pulse flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor.

Add butter and blend, 8 to 10 seconds, and then pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle mixture into prepared baking pan and press firmly into an even layer with slightly raised sides to hold in the filling. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and then bake until golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes; remove from oven and let cool slightly. After crust is finished baking, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Lemon Filling:

4 large eggs, beaten lightly
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from two large lemons)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
1/3 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

While crust is baking, make the Lemon Filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour; stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, and salt to blend well. Pour mixture onto the pan on top of the warm crust.

NOTE: You may set prepared Lemon Filling aside until crust is finished baking. When ready to pour on warm crust, re-blend Lemon Filling mixture and pour into the warm crust.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the filling feels firm when touched lightly. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.

Grasp the parchment and carefully lift the bars onto a cutting board. Cut into serving size squares or bars, wiping your knife clean between cuts if necessary.

Extra powdered or confectioners' sugar to decorate finished bars.

Sieve powdered or confectioners' sugar over bars and serve. NOTE: The powdered sugar will start to be absorbed into the Lemon Filling after several hours, but it can be reapplied before serving.

Storage: 3 days at room temperature, 3 weeks refrigerated (individually wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent drying), or 3 months frozen.

The dough is a snap in a food processor.

The filling seems runny, but don't worry!

I'm including this because I thought I'd goofed with those funky brown spots.  The powdered sugar covers them.  Whew!

Lynn is right.  They're well worth the effort!

But I'm not done yet.  We have another finalist today!  Finalist number three is Raspberry Rollups from Kathy Kaminski.  The raspberry jam got my attention immediately.  It wasn't until I took a closer look that I realized this recipe is similar to one my mom makes.  My mom's recipe requires a lot of rolling out and folding of the dough to create a flaky pastry and while they're very good, they're a lot of work.  So I was eager to see how this would work out.

Here's what Kathy said ~
Here are 2 favorite family Christmas cookie recipes-both from my mom's mom.

Raspberry Rollups

1 cup butter or margarine
½ cup (8 oz. package) cream cheese
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
Red raspberry jam

Combine butter and cream cheese and blend until smooth.  Combine flour and salt and blend into butter mixture. Chill about half an hour. Roll about ¼ inch thick. Cut into 2 ½ inch squares. Spread each square with one teaspoon raspberry jam to within ¼ inch of edge. Roll up firmly. Place rolled edge down on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 420 degrees about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

My mom remembers these as pillow cookies. Instead of rolling the squares up, her mom folded them like a ravioli. She also used other jams in addition to the raspberry-apricot was another one.

I spread a little extra jam along the edges to help seal the pillows.

Three shapes out of one recipe: roll-ups; pillows; and the windmills that my mom used to make.

Fresh from the oven.

Served as dessert!  Don't be fooled by the fact that there's no sugar in the dough.  They're delicious!

 

A Chat with Joanne Fluke

Anyone who reads culinary mysteries knows the name Joanne Fluke. The author of Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Fudge Cupcake Murder, Sugar Cookie Murder and many more delicious titles, Joanne keeps us coming back for more tastes of life at Hannah Swensen's bakery in a small town in Minnesota.



Her books have been translated into Russian, Hungarian, Japanese, and Korean! How fun is that?




Joanne's latest book, Plum Pudding Murder has just been released and includes Hannah's favorite Christmas dinner recipes! In case you can't get enough of Joanne's recipes, you'll be happy to know that she's working on a cookbook to be released about this time next year. But her husband Ruel has to taste all the recipes first. Poor Ruel!


Joanne was kind enough to give us a glimpse into her private life (and her fridge!).

1. Name three foods in your fridge right now (that might surprise
people)…

Chipolte salsa, natural yogurt, and (for the dogs) chopped chicken and pork.


2. Who does most of the cooking in your house? There's often a divide between people who love to cook, and those who love to bake. Are you strictly a baker or do you like to cook as
well?

We both do it, about the same. I do most of the baking. Ruel makes the best Lasagna and other pasta concoctions.


3. What's a typical mid-week dinner at your house?

Sandwiches and salad.


4. Name your top five favorite cookie recipes (and tell us what books
they're in, too!)

Impossible. We like them all. When I bake it's usually some new recipe I'm working on.


5. Your amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen, is awesome and so incredibly
loved! Can you tell us a few ways that you are like Hannah--and a few
ways that you are not like Hannah?

Hannah is quicker with snappy replies. She's a lot younger.


6. This is a really touchy issue, and we don’t mind if you don’t want to answer – just say “pass" -- but can you tell us if Hannah is going to be baking a wedding cake (for herself!) in a future book? To put it another way - will your readers ever hear wedding bells ringing for
Hannah?

We’re going to have to wait to see if Hannah chooses one of the guys. I have very little to say about Hannah’s love life. I can throw her a curve, of course, like Ross, but she has a mind of her own. People think I’m crazy when I say that, but it’s the truth. I have tried making her do things that didn’t “fit” and it always came out flat, so that I had to go back and rewrite it her way.


7. Did you ever have a dream of opening a cookie shop like Hannah's?

No. I love what I do too much to switch. Besides, I'd go broke in business.


8. Your latest book, Plum Pudding Murder, will be released in
October. What's Hannah up to this time?

She finds a body and figures out who done it. And she makes a great plum pudding that is nothing like the ones Mrs. Crachitt made. Hannah's are not steamed and actually have plums in them!


9. Would you care to share a recipe with us?

Sure!

Lovely Lemon Bar Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle position.

2 cups flour (no need to sift)
1 cup cold butter (2 sticks, 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (no need to sift, unless it's got big lumps)

4 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
2 cups white sugar
8 tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon or so of zest (optional) (zest is finely grated lemon peel)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons flour (that's 1/4 cup -- don't bother to sift)

Cut each stick of butter into eight pieces. Zoop it up with the flour and the powdered sugar in a food processor until it looks like coarse cornmeal (just like the first step in making a piecrust). Spread it out in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan (that's a standard cake sheet pan) and pat it down with your hands.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven. (Don't turn off oven!)

Mix eggs with white sugar. Add lemon juice (and zest, if you want to use it). Add salt and baking powder and mix. Then add flour and mix thoroughly. (This will be runny -- it's supposed to be.)

Pour this mixture on top of the pan you just baked and stick it back into the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for another 30-35 minutes. Then remove from the oven and sprinkle on additional powdered sugar.

Let cool thoroughly and cut into brownie-sized bars.

Thanks for joining us today, Joanne!

To find out more about Joanne and her books, visit her website at http://www.murdershebaked.com