When it comes to baking, I stick to what I know, which is really just chocolate chip cookies and lemon bars. I gravitate toward lemon bars because I adore the tart, thick filling along with the buttery shortbread crust. Also, it doesn’t hurt that my family has been blessed with a gigantic Meyer lemon tree, which has stood strong in our backyard for as long as I can remember. When I say it’s big, I’m not kidding. This tree always has lemons on it, with what sometimes looks like a hundred plump citrus fruits hanging from its branches.

As someone who adds lemon to just about anything I make in the kitchen, it really is quite wonderful to be able to step outside to grab one without having to account for them in my grocery shopping list. Plus, these aren’t just any old lemons, they’re Meyer lemons. They’re sweeter than your regular lemon, which is believed to be because they are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange (don’t quote me on that, though).

Once I returned home for spring break, I was eager to satiate my craving and get to baking these bars. However, I wanted to do something different from usual, so I went off-script and added some embellishments. I knew I wanted to add some sort of fruit compote, and I had these gorgeously chubby blueberries sitting in my fridge. Then I was considering how I could make the crust more interesting—maybe a herb like thyme? However, I decided that might be a little too overwhelming with the flavors of the blueberry and the lemon. I suddenly remembered this matcha latte with strawberry purée I had had at a local boba shop, and I thought that matcha could make sense with the blueberry flavor while adding a fun pop of color, so I ran with it. Now, enough babbling. Here is a very easy recipe that will look and taste like you did something far more impressive.

Ingredients

Matcha shortbread crust:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 2 cups and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons matcha

Blueberry compote:

• 1 cup blueberries (or fruit of choice)
• 1/4 cup water 
• Honey to taste 

Filling:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
• Confectioner’s sugar to taste

Instructions

Crust: 

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚ F and line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that it is hanging over the sides of the dish.
2. In a bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and salt.
3. Sift the flour and matcha into the bowl.
4. Mix fully and add to the baking dish.
5. Bake for around 22 minutes, until the crust is slightly golden. Once it is out of the oven, use a fork to pierce holes in the crust, which will help the compote and filling stick.

Compote: 

1. While the crust is baking, add the blueberries (or your fruit of choice, strawberries would also work well) and water to a saucepan on medium heat.
2. Let it simmer until the berries cook down into a jammy consistency, around 15 minutes.
3. Depending on the ripeness of the fruit and desired sweetness of the compote, add honey.
4. Spread the compote evenly onto the crust and let it cool for at least 15 minutes, but 30 minutes or more is optimal so when you add the lemon filling there will still be clear layers.

Filling: 

1. In a bowl, sift the sugar and flour together.
2. Add the eggs, also through the sieve, which should help prevent the eggs from separating during the baking process. You might as well keep the sieve on top of the bowl when adding the lemon juice to stop seeds from sneaking their way in.
3. Whisk all the ingredients together, and pour the mixture on top of the compote and crust.
4. Bake the bars at 325˚ F for 22–26 minutes, or until the filling no longer jiggles.
5. Let cool for a couple of hours.
6. Once ready to serve, lift the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan, dust the top with confectioner’s sugar (which conveniently covers any compote that is visible on the surface), and slice bars into squares, being sure to clean your knife in between so that the layers are as clear as possible. The bars should last in the fridge for a week. Enjoy!

Jordan Scott-Weiner can be reached at jscottweiner@wesleyan.edu.