Gingered Lemon Almond Squares Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove almonds to a shallow bowl to cool. Turn off oven.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, ginger, lemon zest, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add butter, molasses, and lemon and vanilla extracts, and beat until combined. With a wooden spoon, stir in almonds and crystallized ginger.
• Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 7-by-3-inch rectangle about 1 1/4 inches thick. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (nonstick French baking mats) or parchment paper.
• Using a sharp knife, cut rectangles crosswise into very thin slices, thinner than 1/8 inch, if possible. Arrange on prepared baking sheets 1/2 inch apart. Bake until just beginning to darken around edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer crisps to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line the pan with baking parchment, letting the parchment hang over the sides. (This will make it easier to remove the dessert once baked.)
• Prepare the base:
• In the saucepan, melt the butter. Add the almond meal, fresh ginger, honey, egg, salt, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. The mixture should be thick and sticky.
• Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. To help make a level and even base, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the base. Using a flat-bottomed glass (or your fingers), smooth out the base by pressing gently to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Bake until the base is slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping:
• In the same saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the almonds, candied ginger, honey, salt, and vanilla. Stir just until the ingredients are incorporated.
• When the base is baked, spread the topping evenly over the base and bake until the topping is dark and sizzling, 12 to 15 minutes. Do not underbake.
• Transfer the pan to the baking rack to cool. When the dessert is completely cool, remove it from the pan using the overhanging parchment as handles and cut it into 16 even squares.
• Do Ahead
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
• Variation:
• Chestnut Honey Squares: For the base, replace 1 cup (90g) almond meal with 3/4 cup (120 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour and use a strong honey, such as chestnut, in place of the mild honey. For the topping, replace the candied ginger with organic candied orange or lemon peel, cut into tiny cubes.

Steps:

• In an 8-quart saucepan combine sugar, water and ginger root. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Stir in lemon juice. Cool 15 minutes. Remove ginger. Refrigerate lemonade at least 1 hour, or until chilled.
• Serve over ice, and garnish with lemon slices.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a food processor grind fine the almonds with 1/4 cup of the confectioners' sugar and 1 cup of the flour, add the butter, and blend the mixture until it just resembles meal. Pat the mixture into an 8-inch-square baking pan and bake the crust in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is pale golden. Let the crust cool completely in the pan on a rack.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs until they are thick and pale, beat in the granulated sugar and the lemon juice, and beat the mixture for 8 minutes. Sift in the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, the baking powder, the ginger, and a pinch of salt, stir the filling until it is combined well, and pour it over the crust. Bake the confection in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is set and pale golden. Transfer the dessert in the pan to the rack, sift the additional confectioners' sugar over the top, and let the dessert cool completely. Cut the dessert into 2-inch squares.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 20cm square loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. Tip the butter, sugar and a pinch of salt into a large bowl, and beat with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the flour, ground almonds and milk. Use a wooden spoon and then your hands to bring the mixture together to form a dough.
• Use your fingers to spread the shortbread dough over the bottom of the tin, right into the corners. Bake for 35 mins until golden.
• Meanwhile, prepare the lemon topping. Whisk the lemon juice and eggs together in a jug. In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour and zest. Strain the lemon mixture through a sieve onto the sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
• When the tin is cool enough to handle, wrap the outside tightly in foil - this will prevent the lemon mixture seeping out. Pour over the shortbread and return to the oven for 15 mins. Scatter over the almonds and bake for another 5 mins until the topping has set. Cool completely in the tin, then lift out, dust with icing sugar and cut into bars. Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• For crust: Preheat oven to 350F.
• Mix flour, sugar and salt and cut in butter until mixture holds together when pressed; pat into bottom of 9 inch square baking dish; bake until light brown, about 15 minutes.
• For filling: Beat eggs and ½ cup sugar until thick and pale; add almond paste and beat until smooth.
• Mix in lemon juice and peel and all purpose flour.
• Pour filling into crust and bake until firm but not brown, 17-20 minutes.
• Cool in pan.
• Dust with powdered sugar.
• To serve: Cut in squares using knife dipped in hot water.