Blood Orange Citrus Bars

I made these out of the blue for my sister one day, since she and I love tart pastries and desserts. This is gluten-free, you can make these non-gluten-free if you prefer. But these are for my sister, Samia!

Yield: 8 large bars Prep Time: 45 mins.~1 hour Total time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust:

1 c. gluten-free all-purpose flour + 1 T. leave on the side

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 pinch salt

8 T. butter cubed, room temperature

Filling:

2/3 c. fresh blood orange juice

4 large eggs

1c. sugar

1 c. gluten-free all-purpose flour

Topping:

Powdered sugar and sumac (optional)

Preparation:

Cookie Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. In a bowl add GF flour, sugar, and salt and mix together, slowly adding butter.3. Keep mixing till the cookie dough starts to form, add 1 T. of flour on a surface. 4. Grease a sheet pan and add cookie dough and press along the sides. 5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, till the crust is golden brown, and let it cool for 30 minutes before adding the filling.

Filling:

1. While the crust is baking, add eggs, sugar, and juice to a mixing bowl. 2. Add the GF flour to help thicken the custard. 3. Once the crust is fully cooled, add the custard to the crust, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees. 4. For 25 minutes, check on the custard and if it stops giggling in the middle or anywhere then it is fully cooked. If there is still some uncooked custard, let it bake for another 2-3 minutes. 5. Sprinkle some powdered sugar and some sumac and enjoy!

Chef's Note:

If you are baking with a smaller pan, it will take 30 minutes for the custard to bake. The pan I was using was a 9''x 13" and took 25 minutes to bake the custard. I kept thinking the custard was really loose and not thick, and I was a tad worried since I thought the custard was too wet. But in the end, it turned out great, and the crust held up the moisture. The sumac sprinkle is optional since it adds a little citrusy note and is something different. Enjoy!

Crust: