A fool-proof recipe for sticky lemon bars that works every time, writes DOMINI KEMP

I’M ALWAYS VERY grateful to get emails and feedback from readers in relation to my column, and anytime I’ve complained about dodgy cake recipes (recipes that didn’t work for me as I’m such a nincompoop at baking), I’ve always received jolly notes offering tips and solutions to improve my inadequate skills as a baker.

My previous attempt at making lemon bars ended in sweet lemon goo burning in my oven as it leaked out over the edge of the baking tray. I finally settled on a good replacement recipe and believe me, this one is fool-proof, so you can enjoy making it safe in the knowledge that it really does work and you won’t spend weeks removing lemon ash from your oven.

For some reason, I’ve been on a bit of a vegetarian tack the past few weeks. Maybe it’s because I’ve received an influx of emails recently from parents looking for suggestions for feeding vegetarian teens, as well as emails from grown-up veggies, frustrated by my meat-heavy column. This must have filtered through to my subconscious and, as a result, I’ve been eating plenty of pulses, beans and trying to up the vegetable quotient at home, a lot more than usual.

I also got a request from a pal of my husband’s looking for food that everyone in the family can eat. A common complaint for busy parents is that they don’t want to cook two dinners when they get home – one for toddlers and one for grown-ups. I totally understand this dilemma and naturally, the default position is to serve pasta pesto or pasta with tomato sauce at every meal time.

But last Sunday, I tried a kind of lentil lasagne that everyone ate. There were a few good parts to this: it made enough for six to eight servings (we got two nights out of it – another big plus for time-strapped folk), and once the tomato and lentil bit was done, I gave a bowl to the two-year-old who was very happy to eat it.

Not only is it vegetarian, but it is full of carrots, onions, celery and garlic (as well as the tinned tomatoes) so I feel there is a good chunk of vegetables going into every bite. Also, lentils are considered one of your five a day, so I reckon this dish is a very healthy one. A few sheets of pasta are involved, and the bechamel is fairly light on butter and stretches to a whole dish, so it isn’t entirely evil. The lentils are delicious on their own and you could always top this base sauce with mashed potatoes or parsnip or sweet potato and make it gluten-free.

Fool-proof lemon bars

If the lemons are mean looking, then use six. You need to have 240ml of juice, which is what I got from four large, juicy ones.

Pastry

220g butter, room temperature

95g caster sugar

200g flour

Filling

6 eggs

400g sugar

Zest and juice of 4-6 lemons

100g flour

Heat your oven to 170 degrees/gas mark three. You will need one non-stick Swiss roll tin.

Whizz the pastry ingredients together until they form a ball. This happens easily enough as there is plenty of butter in this recipe. Then attempt to roll the pastry out between sheets of cling film, into some sort of shape resembling the Swiss roll tin. (Note: I nearly abandoned ship at this stage.)

Somehow, you’ll transfer these breaking blobs of pastry into the Swiss roll tin. Have a bowl of water to the ready. Use either a spatula or your hand, and just press the pastry down into the tin. You don’t need to go up the sides. Just try to get one reasonably level sheet of pastry lining the tin.

You can chill this while your oven gets properly up to temperature. Or not. I just chucked it in and baked it with some greaseproof paper on top, weighted down with rice and dried beans. Bake it for 20 minutes, then very carefully remove the piping hot beans (or rice) and greaseproof and bake for a few more minutes to dry it out a bit.

For the filling, whisk all the ingredients together and then pour into the tin. Bake for 35 minutes until just set. Allow it to cool down to room temperature and then cut into slices and dust with icing sugar, which although usually looks so naff, is entirely appropriate here.

Lentil lasagne

Feel free to chop and change the veggies – if your kids hate carrots and can spot them a mile away, try sneaking some mushrooms in. Or maybe some aubergine. Celery is the nemesis of most children, but if it’s cut finely enough, they won’t spot it. Hee hee. Vegetarians can leave out the Worcestershire sauce. I used a gratin dish that was approximately 25cmx30cm. The serves six to eight.

250g Puy lentils

Good glug olive oil

1-2 onions, peeled and very finely chopped

Few sticks celery, very finely chopped

Few carrots, peeled and very finely chopped

2 tins chopped tomatoes

1 whole head of garlic, peeled and crushed

1 good squirt of ketchup

Good few shakes of Worcestershire sauce (replace with mushroom ketchup, or soy sauce for vegetarians)

4-6 sheets of lasagne

75g butter

50g flour

Approx 400ml milk

salt

150g Cheddar or other hard cheese

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Soak the lentils in a bowl with some boiling water while you sweat the vegetables. This will help them to cook faster. Sweat the onions, celery and carrots together until they are nice and soft. Do this in a heavy-based saucepan, over a gentle heat.

Add the chopped tomatoes and, using the empty tins, fill them both up with water so you get the extra bits of tomatoes and also end up with the right amount of water (two tins worth). This also helps to partially clean out the tins so they are ready for recycling. Drain the lentils and chuck them in. Mix well, and then simmer, with a lid partially covering the pot, for about 25 minutes, stirring every now and then. Towards the end of the cooking time, remove the lid completely as you want to be left with a thick Bolognese-style sauce. Add the garlic, ketchup and Worcestershire (or mushroom or soy sauce) and cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Feel free to add some herbs here, but I played it safe, didn’t add any salt and stayed away from herbs. Mix really well and let the flavours mingle, and make sure the lentils are soft. If you’re happy, set aside.

To make the bechamel, melt the butter, add the flour and, keeping the pot on the heat, mix well. You want to cook the flour out, but try not to let it brown. After a minute or two, add about 100ml of milk. Incorporate this, then gradually add the rest, switching over to a whisk if necessary. Once all the milk has been added and you’re happy you have a pourable, fondue-like consistency, season lightly and stir in half the cheese.

Top the lentils with sheets of pasta, doubling up over the cracks. Pour the bechamel over the sheets of pasta and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. You can leave this to cool down fully and bake it the following day, or else bake immediately for about 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the pasta is cooked through. Leave it to rest for five to 10 minutes before serving with lots of green salad.

Domini recommends:

Buying a little toast rack to combat soggy toast. I finally gave in and bought one and I can’t tell you how old (and content) it makes me feel. Dublin’s Cornucopia vegetarian restaurant make a chilled carrot and avocado soup that’s more like a thick juice. It’s packed full of garlic, and utterly delicious