grapefruit bars

more holiday baking, August 2023

definitely strain the zest out for better texture

one large ruby grapefruit should give the amount of juice you need - if not, top up with lemons

adapted from Claire Saffitz

ingredients

shortbread base

50g plain flour

13g powdered sugar

47g butter, cold

grapefruit curd filling

100g caster sugar

1 grapefruit

1 egg

3 egg yolks

37g butter

method

preheat oven to 160°C

prepare a loaf tin with baking paper

cut the cold butter (47g) into small cubes

in a medium bowl, add the flour (50g), powdered sugar (13g), and butter cubes and rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until the butter has all but disappeared and the texture is like damp sand

press the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges

while the crust is baking, zest and juice the grapefruit.

you should get about 120mL of grapefruit juice. if short, add lemon juice until you have 120mL of citrus juice

in a medium saucepan, add the caster sugar (100g) and zest and rub together the mixture with your fingertips

add the whole egg (1) and egg yolks (3), and whisk vigorously to combine until the mixture is paler and slightly fluffy

pour in the grapefruit juice and whisk to combine

cook over medium-high heat until the curd thickens, then add the butter (37g)and fold through

strain the curd, removing the zest and any egg pieces

pour the strained curd into the loaf tin over the hot shortbread base, and return to the oven to cook for a further 20 minutes or until set

cool completely in the tin, then remove from the tin and cool for a further 3 hours, or overnight, in the fridge

cut into small squares and dust with icing sugar before eating

variations

lemon (the original): replace the grapefruit zest and juice with an equal quantity of lemon zest and juice (2-3 lemons)

lime & coconut: add 2 tbsp of desiccated coconut to the shortbread mixture before baking, and replace the grapefruit with limes (4-5 limes)