Lemon & Blueberry Bars

I've had my eye on these Lemon Blueberry Bars from Two Peas And Their Pod (a great blog which is worth checking out, especially for the sheer variety of cookies) for quite some time, and since the blueberries sitting in my freezer were begging to be used up, I decided that this weekend I have a go at adapting it for my kitchen.

I've seen a fair few varieties of lemon bar swirling through the blogosphere, but this post caught my attention because of the blueberries studded through it. Lemons and blueberries make a knockout combination (check out this cake from Sweetapolita if you don't believe me), so they gave the recipe a greater pull than the traditional lemon bar.

Originally, I was going to make a limoncello sauce of some kind and drizzle it over the top, but my search for mini bottles in the local market proved unsuccessful, and I'm not really in a financial position to buy an entire bottle. A quiet fear is slowly taking grasp of my heart as, despite applying to them since September, I don't a job lined up yet despite graduating in just over two months, my tenancy runs out the day after graduation so I either must find a job by then or move back in with my parents. Though they are lovely and I'm sure wouldn't mind too much, I need my independence so I'm clinging to every coin I can earn until I find something.

Actually, while we're off topic, I have a story that should act as a lesson to all recruiters. I got a call on Thursday asking if I could do a phone interview the next day for a one year placement. Cue excitement about potential imminent employment. The next day, one minute into the interview, the interviewer suddenly realised that I'm a soon-to-be graduate and not a second year undergraduate. He promptly ended the interview and said he'd pass my details onto the graduate team. Cue crushing disappointment. I know I wouldn't have necessary got the job, but this was the first interview I'd been given in months and to have it snatched away was disenchanting to say the least. So, if any recruiters are reading this, make sure check the candidate is suitable for the role before offering them an interview!

Anyway, back onto the topic of these Lemon & Blueberry bars, when I decided that using limoncello was out of the window I thought it might be fun to try the bruléed method used by Annalise at Completely Delicious on her Brûléed Meyer Lemon Bars. It turned out, though, that the bars looked so good when they came out of the oven that any topping at all was unnecessary. The only slight flaw is that the volume of blueberries makes the bars a bit crumbly, so next time I would like to increase the volume of the lemon filling.These are definitely worth a try though, and would go brilliantly with a hot summer day.

Makes 6
Ingredients

• 3 Lemons
• 397g Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 125g Oat Biscuits (like Hobnobs)
• 25g Butter
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 225g Frozen Blueberries (approx 125g fresh)

Recipe

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C and line a 9in x 9in cake pan
• If you have a food processor, blend the biscuits until fine, add the butter and blend until well combined. If you don't, put the biscuits in a bag and use a rolling pin to bash until fine. Melt the butter in a pan and then stir into the biscuits.
• Press the biscuits into the cake pan using the back of a wooden spoon, then place in the fridge until needed.
• Empty the can of condensed milk into a saucepan, then add the egg yolks.
• Grate the zest of the lemons into the saucepan, then slice them in half and hold them over a sieve whilst squeezing their juice into the saucepan (the sieve catches the seeds).
• Set the pan over a low heat and stir continuously until the mixture starts to simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the frozen blueberries.
• Pour the lemon and blueberry mixture on top of the biscuit base in the cake tin, then place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until set.
• Allow to cool completely before placing in the fridge overnight, then slice into nine.

Ok, I admit it, I ate a couple of slices before placing the remaining bars in the fridge overnight.