Mouth-Watering Watermelon Bars
Mouth-Watering Watermelon Bars
Ingredients:
- 1 box round vanilla wafers (12 oz.), finely ground
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 5 cups watermelon juice (from about 1/2 of a large watermelon)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 small envelopes (1 oz. total) of unflavored gelatin, (see chef’s note)
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar or 1 cup whipped cream, for garnish
Instructions:
step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides of the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
step 2 Mix the melted butter into the finely ground vanilla wafers and add 2 Tablespoons of water. Mix well and press the crumbs onto the bottom of the prepared pan, forming a crust. Bake the crust for 20 minutes and allow to cool.
step 3 Set aside 2 cups of the watermelon juice in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 3 cups of watermelon juice with the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and heavy cream.
step 4 Sprinkle the gelatin over the reserved 2 cups of watermelon juice. Allow to sit for 2 minutes so that gelatin can dissolve and begin to absorb liquid, or "bloom." After the gelatin blooms, heat it in the microwave for 2 minutes on high, or heat gently in a small pot over low heat on the stove top, until the gelatin has completely melted into the juice and the liquid is smooth.
step 5 Add the watermelon juice with the melted gelatin to the larger bowl of juice from Step 3. Stir to combine. Gently pour the mixture over the prepared crust from Step 2 and place in the freezer for 2 hours or until the mixture is firm. (Alternately, place the pan in the refrigerator and allow to set for 3 to 4 hours.)
step 6 Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Before serving, cut the watermelon bars into squares. If desired, sprinkle each serving with confectioners' sugar or a dollop of whipped cream.
:-( this may sound stupid - but how do you juice a watermelon???
ReplyDeleteI cut mine up without the rind and blended it in a normal blender.
DeleteHow much is a stick of butter?
ReplyDeleteI am a bit concerned about adding lemon juice directly to cream..... wouldn't it curdle??
ReplyDeleteit's eggs that you worry about curdling with acidic juices
DeleteCurdling the milk with the lemon actually thickens the mixture. You can actually make this recipe without the gelatin if you have the cream to lemon ratio correct. Adding the gelatin just guarantees that it sets up correctly.
DeleteA LITTLE MILK SCIENCE:
DeleteAdding acid (lemon juice) to cold or room temperature milk or cream will cause the curdling to happen so slowly that you can usually get away with adding it without the milk curdling in your recipe - this is how we can make lemon-flavored ice cream. On the other hand, if you add lemon juice or other acid to hot milk, the curdling happens much faster. My mom's lemon pie is made this way.
My bars were delicious but my jello mixture separated. Not sure what I did wrong?
ReplyDeleteI also did not like the consistency of the bars. If I were to make them again, I would increase the amount of gelatin that I add to the mixture. Increase from 4 packs to 6 packs of gelatin. I believe that will give the bars a firmer texture.
Delete