The Pungent Ingredient That Gives Lemon Bars A Flavorful Kick

Lemon bars are one of the most comforting desserts in the American canon, finding a home at bake sales and pastry shops alike. But for some palettes, moods, and occasions, the humble lemon bar may barrel past inoffensive territory and into the realm of boring desserts. When this is the case and you need to inject a little wow into your lemon bars, try adding ginger.

Ginger is the pungent, flavorful ingredient that will take lemon bars to the next level. The dessert in its classic preparation is super-sweet with varying levels of tartness from the lemon or lemon juice incorporated within. The flavor of the root vegetable ginger is one of the most complex and compelling out there, at once hitting notes of spice, wood, lemon, sweetness, and perfume. Ginger works well to cut the excessive sweetness of lemon bars with its spicier side while complementing the lemon and giving greater depth to the dessert overall. The flavor and scent of ginger can be described as invigorating and is a frequent ingredient in fresh juices for that very reason. This quality will help turn up the volume, freshness, and zing any time you need a lemon bar upgrade.

First things first, you've got to make sure you have your lemon bar recipe on lock. If you're starting from square one, try out this classic lemon bar recipe that utilizes standard ingredients like powdered sugar and lemon zest in just the right quantities. The easiest place to work ginger into the equation is going to be the lemon curd filling of a given lemon bar recipe. Creating the lemon curd mixture usually means mixing the wet ingredients, like eggs and lemon juice, followed by the inclusion of flour. This wet ingredient stage is the place to bust out the ginger paste, an ingredient easily found at most grocery stores. Try adding 1 tablespoon of ginger paste to a classic lemon bar recipe for a subtle but undeniable fresh and tangy take.

If you're short on time or prefer a more ready-made baking solution, buying some pre-made lemon curd and ginger paste is an easy, store-bought shortcut for zippy lemon bars. There are other ways to get the ginger zing as well: Feel free to sub in fresh ginger, finely grated, in the same quantity as the paste for a more powerful punch. Or for a roundabout injection of flavor, craft this ginger syrup and drizzle it over the top of your standard lemon bars.