Over the weekend, I went berry picking again. This time for Blueberries and Raspberries, Red and Black Currants. Despite the heat and the horrific bugs, I do love berry picking and seeing it is generally so hard to find currants, I make the most of it. Some of the currants will be frozen, there will be lots of jam (and with the black currants, cassis making) and then a few treats. Here is the first: Red Currant Shortbread Bars. Extremely easy to make, and if you don’t happen to have currents, these can also be made with raspberries or even cranberries. Yum!
Ingredients
for the crust and topping
1 cup plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to just warm
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
3 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour
for the filling
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen red currants
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. Create a foil or parchment sling for your 9×13 inch baking dish or spray generously with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together butter, sugar, salt, and egg yolks with a spoon until smooth. Add in the flour and mix until just combined. Remove 2 cups of the crust mixture and press into the lined pan. Set the unused portion of the crust aside covered with plastic wrap, but not in the refrigerator. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes or so; the chilling of the crust prevents it from expanding and rising too much during baking.
While the oven is preheating and the crust is chilling, start on the currant filling. Combine red currants, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium and continue simmering for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.
Remove the crust from the freezer and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until the sides are lightly browned. Then remove from the oven, and increase oven temperature to 350F. Spread the red currant jam on top, and sprinkle the left over crust mixture on top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the streusel is lightly browned.
Allow the pan to cool completely before taking the bars out of the pan. Remove the bars by lifting out with the sling and cut.
