Perfect Lemon Bars

America's Test Kitchen does it again. I was craving lemon bars the other day and decided to try this recipe. Most lemon bars I've tried taste a tad too 'eggy' to me. But, this one has the perfect balance of lemon and flaky crust. The cream balances out the eggy flavor. These were fantastic!

PERFECT LEMON BARS

1 ¼ C. All-purpose flour
½ C. powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
Salt
12 TBS (1 ½ Stick) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened
7 Large egg yolks
2 Large eggs
1 C. plus 2 TBS sugar
2/3 C. fresh lemon juice
¼ C. grated lemon zest
3 TBS heavy cream

• Heat oven to 350° middle rack. Line a 9-in square pan with foil, coat with vegetable spray.
• Process flour, powdered sugar, ½ tsp salt in a food processor until combined, add 8 TBS of the butter and process until the consistency of corn meal.
• Put in pan, press firmly. Bake until crust is brown, 20 min.
• While crust is baking – mix yolks and whole eggs in a medium sauce pan. Wisk in sugar, then wisk in lemon juice and lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Add 4 remaining tablespoons of butter. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens or reaches 170° (about 5 min).
• Strain mixture in a non-reactive bowl and stir in the cream. Pour the warm lemon curd over the hot crust. Bake until filling is shiny and opaque and center jiggles slightly when shaken (10-15 min).
• Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.
• Cut into squares and remove foil from pan.
• Dust with powered sugar.
• Can be stored in an air tight container for up to 3 days.