This lemon square has a soft texture, tons of lemon flavour, and just the right balance of sweetness and tartness. The graham crust adds a nice complimentary flavour and texture, and as a bonus it is quicker and easier than a typical shortbread crust.

Ingredients: For the graham crust

• 225g graham crumbs ( 2-1/2 cups)
• 48g sugar (3 Tbsp)
• 84g butter, melted (6 Tbsp)
• 0.75g salt (1/8 tsp)

Ingredients: For the filling

• 140g lemon juice (5-6 lemons)
• zest of lemons
• 230g sugar (roughly 1 cup)
• 180g heavy cream, 35% (3/4 cup)

Tools Required:

• 8″ x 8″ square pan (20cm by 20cm)
• stainless steel bowls
• heatproof spatula
• stove top/induction with a small pot
• probe thermometer
• strainer
• immersion blender (optional)
• cutting board and knife

Instructions for the crust:

1. In a stainless steel bowl, add all dry ingredients for the crust.
2. Stir in melted butter. Mix until homogeneous.
3. Add graham crumb mixture to a lined 8″ x 8″ (20cm x 20 cm) pan, press down firmly (the bottom of a ramekin works well) to pack the crumbs.
4. Bake graham crumb mixture in a 325°F oven for roughly 15 minutes.

Instructions for the filling:

1. Add all filling ingredients to a large bowl.
2. Heat over a double boiler on low, stirring constantly until it the mixture reaches 60°C.
3. Remove from heat, strain, and pour into the pan over the cooked crust.
4. Bake at 300°F for 40 minutes or until the curd reaches 185°F.

Variations:

• Different citrus fruit: You can easily change the flavour by swapping other citrus fruits for lemon. Grapefruit or orange squares anyone?!
• Top with meringue: Dress these squares up by finishing with a little torched meringue. Smaller, rectangular slices work well for this.
• Change the crust: We like the flavour of the graham crust, but you can easily substitute a basic shortbread recipe for a shortbread crust. Or, use a pie dough and you have lemon meringue pie!

FAQs, Tips, Troubleshooting:

• Every oven is different – to ensure success we highly recommend taking the temperature of the filling when baking to test for doneness.
• Make sure to pat the crust down well before baking to ensure it stays together.