Monday, July 5, 2010

Lime Squares with Strawberries

I got this from The Tasty Kitchen. They are really yummy and pretty easy, especially if you replace the homemade crust with a store-bought one.

FOR THE TOPPING:
1 cup Fresh Strawberries, Sliced
1 Tablespoon Sugar

FOR THE CRUST:
⅔ cups Blanched Almonds (I used regular ol' almonds)
1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 4 Oz. or one package)
¼ cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Lime Zest ( I didn't have any, so I left this out)
½ sticks Unsalted Butter, Melted And Cooled (I used salted butter)

FOR THE FILLING:
2 whole Egg Yolks
1 can Sweet Condensed Milk, (14 Ounces)
½ cups Fresh Lime Juice (I didn't use fresh juice)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with melted butter. Line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. (If you don’t have parchment paper, use aluminum foil and butter the foil.)

Hull and slice strawberries, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the strawberries, stir, cover and refrigerate until needed.

In a food processor (or blender), finely grind blanched almonds with graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, and zest. Blend in butter. Press mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.

To make the filling: in a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice; whisk until smooth. Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.

Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack; *top with strawberries, patting excess juices off, then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift it out of the pan, and transfer to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut into squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut. To store in the refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap.

*I would wait until you're ready to serve it before you put the strawberries on. The juice from the strawberries can make the crust soggy.