Lemon Basil Bars

I'm always amused by how much people enjoy bake sales. Maybe it's because it's an opportunity to purchase goodies that someone else has made (I.E. little effort involved in tasty treats?). Or maybe it's the excuse to eat tasty treats for a good cause (I.E. less residual guilt for indulgence?)? Who knows! One thing that is consistent around my place of work, is that my mother and I are always tapped to bring goodies for these things. Partly because they know we rarely say no to baking and partly because we're both pretty consistent in quality of product. It's also fun because mom tends to be a traditionalist and I tend to like the shock and awe approach. And for those of you who don't know me...yes, my mother and I work together...as does my step father and two step brothers...Crazy world I live in, I tell ya. I'll share that story with you another time :-)

This time my lovely mother made Blondies with white chocolate chips and pecans. Delicious! and gone like wildfire. I decided to make lemon bars. But wait, that is so simple...I can't be that ordinary, people expect weirdly delicious things from me. Last time I made bacon and date scones. So, I remember that I've got a big ol' box of fresh basil in the fridge. Basil and lemon should really be married, or at least have a lifelong love affair or something. They're so delightful together. Hey...what if I put basil in the lemon bars? Side note: Clearly I also have a slight culinary death wish...this could go really wrong, or it could go really right!

I based this recipe on a lemon tart I made for mothers day last year. The lemon filling was a lemon sabayon that was creamy, light and dreamy. Only, the crust on that tart was made with pine nuts, which are delicious, but also very pricey. I also needed the filling to be a little more set than the tart was. So, I made some adjustments and ended up with this recipe. These are so good ya'll. And tart enough to add a little twang to my tongue :-) Here you go everyone. The basil is really shockingly delicious and totally not overwhelming. You will be surprised at the subtlety in it's flavor.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups flour 3/4 cup Sugar 1 cup + 4 Tbs butter 1/2 tsp Salt

Filling:

6 large eggs 2 egg yolks 3/4 cup sugar 1 cup fresh lemon juice (preferably meyer lemon) 12 Tbs unsalted butter 3 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil

Directions

For the Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F and grease a 9x13 pan.

2. In the bowl of a mixer or food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend until a coarse crumb is achieved.

3. Dump the crumb mixture into your 9x13 pan and press firmly it into an even layer.

4. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until it is starting to turn golden on top.

For the Sabayon:

1. Fill a saucepan with about 1 1/2 inches of water and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl, whisk the eggs, yolk, and sugar for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth. You can use an electric hand mixer if you desire, but keep it on low or med low. Don't want to beat your eggs to death!

2. Set the bowl over the pot and, using a large whisk (or hand mixer on low), whip the mixture as you turn the bowl (for even heating and mixing).

3. After about 2 minutes, when the eggs are foamy and have thickened, add one-third of the lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously and, when the mixture thickens again, add another one-third of the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again, then add the remaining lemon juice.

4. Continue whisking vigorously, still turning the bowl, until the mixture is thickened and light in color and the whisk leaves a trail in the bottom of the bowl. The total cooking time should be 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time. The sabayon may loosen slightly, but it will thicken and set as it cools.

6. Fold the chopped basil into the sabayon and pour the mixture over the crust.

7. Let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve at room temperature or cold.