Recipe: Lemon, Almond & Thyme Bars

Use either lemon thyme or classic thyme for the pretty (and flavourful) garnish.

Words: Extract from Nadia: A Seasonal Journal  Photo: Isabella Harrex

Let these bars cool completely before slicing them, or the topping will ooze out. The recipe calls for lemon thyme, which has a faint hint of classic thyme with a robust lemony overtone. If lemon thyme isn’t available, replace it with ½ tablespoon of thyme leaves – less is needed as the thyme flavour is much more intense.

Makes: 20 bars
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour
1 cup almond meal
¼ cup cornflour
½ cup caster sugar
150g cold butter, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon thyme leaves, plus a few extra to garnish
icing sugar, for dusting

Topping:
6 free-range eggs
2 cups caster sugar
½ cup flour
1 cup lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

METHOD

Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking dish, letting the baking paper hang over the edges of the dish.

Place the flour, almond meal, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and butter into a food processor and process for a few minutes until a dough forms. Tip into the prepared tray and use your fingers or the back of a spoon to press the mixture out evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown all over. Set aside to cool slightly.

While the base is cooking, put the eggs, caster sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest into a bowl and whisk until completely smooth. Pour over the warm base and scatter over the lemon thyme leaves.

Return to the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes, until the topping is just set – to test it, give the baking dish a little shake – the topping should still have a slight wobble in the centre when it is cooked.

Set aside to cool completely, then slice, dust with icing sugar, and sprinkle over a few extra lemon thyme leaves.

This article first appeared in Nadia: A Seasonal Journal Magazine.