Robertson’s lemon curd. Does it ring a bell to anyone? It was certainly one of my childhood favorite jam spread (the other is Marmite – I know, I know, some of you are going “ewww”).
Sadly, I can’t find the lemon curd here anymore. I still remember collecting all those golliwog batches that we redeemed by peeling off the tokens from the jar labels. I must’ve been about 8 years old? Too long to even remember.
Well, the reason we were exposed to these “ang moh” (slang for western) food was because of mom. She was working for a British expat family many years ago hence, our exposure to these not-your-usual-local foodstuff. I’ve always been a fan of tangy desserts and these lemon squares totally relived my childhood.
Ingredients:
Shortbread Crust
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (30 g) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1 cup (110 g) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Lemon Filling
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (approximately two large lemons)
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Makes 15 pieces
Recipe source: Hilah Cooking
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Butter, or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) glass dish.
Shortbread Crust:
Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat until creamy and smooth.
Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just starts to come together.
Put the dough onto the pan and press onto the bottom and bake for about 18 -20 minutes, or just until lightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
I’m using a glass oven dish instead of an aluminium pan as the acidity in the lemon might react with the aluminium and alter the taste.
Lemon Filling:
In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth.
Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Fold in the flour with a spatula.
Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 17-20 minutes, or just until the filling has set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares and dust with confectioners’s sugar. Store unused portion in fridge for up to 2 days.
Full instructions:
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Butter, or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) glass dish.
Shortbread Crust:
Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat until creamy and smooth. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just starts to come together. Put the dough onto the pan and press onto the bottow and bake for about 18 -20 minutes, or just until lightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Lemon Filling:
In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Fold in the flour with a spatula. Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 17-20 minutes, or just until the filling has set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Store unused portion in fridge for up to 2 days.