Recipe: Lemon Bars on Brown Butter Shortbread

Makes 3-by-3 ¼ inch bars

Crust:

- ½ cup powdered sugar

- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour

- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

- ½ cup pine nuts, optional

- Parchment paper

- Pie weights

Filling:

- ½ cup all-purpose flour

- 2-¼ cups granulated sugar

- Finely grated zest from 1 small lemon

- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice

- 6 large whole eggs

- 1 large egg yolk

- Pinch salt

- Powdered sugar for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and set aside.

2. To make crust: sift powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add flour and stir to mix. Add butter and pine nuts; beat on low speed just until a smooth dough forms. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of the pan. It should be about ¼ inch thick. To help even out the crust, press a piece of plastic wrap onto it and use the flat bottom of a cup, pressing down firmly. Discard the plastic wrap and line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake crust until it colors evenly to a deep golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Rotate pan if crust appears to be baking unevenly.

3. While the crust is baking, make the filling. Sift flour into a bowl. Add sugar and whisk until blended. Add lemon zest and juice; stir to dissolve sugar. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk whole eggs and egg yolk with the salt. Add eggs to the lemon-juice mixture and whisk until well mixed.

4. When the crust is ready, take pan from oven and remove parchment and weights. Immediately pour filling into hot crust. (If the crust has come out of the oven and cooled before you have finished making the filling, put it back in for a few minutes so that it's hot when the custard is poured into it.) Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake just until center of the custard is no longer wobbly, 30 to 40 minutes.

5. Cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill well before cutting. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares or rectangles. Dust top with powdered sugar. The bars will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days.

From "Tartine" by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson