Can blood oranges be used to replace lemons in recipes?
I happen to love homey, old-fashioned desserts. And in the winter I often bake a batch or two of Lemon Squares. A few days ago I found a huge display of blood oranges at my market and decided I’d try substituting their juice and zest for the lemons. I’ve always loved drinking blood orange juice with breakfast, a habit we got into when living in Italy. At the time, our two sons were very young, and during the winter in Naples we had a contest each morning to see which of us had the glass with the reddest orange juice. We’d each select uncut oranges from the bowl and either my wife or I would be the designated squeezer. The suspense was always exciting. At the last moment, when it seemed one of us was the clear winner, the last orange would be so red a surprise winner won the day. And the prize? Getting first pick of the oranges for the next day’s contest.
How do blood oranges compare to other oranges?
Blood oranges are tangier than regular oranges and make an excellent substitute for lemon juice. For this recipe, I decided to concentrate the juice’s tartness by boiling it down by half. That did the trick.
Tips when baking Blood Orange Bars.
One thing I like to do when baking these bars is lining the pan with aluminum foil to make it easy to remove them from the pan. I turn the pan upside down and shape a square of foil on the outside of the pan by folding down the sides. Then I remove the foil liner, turn the pan right side up, and carefully nudge the liner into the baking pan. Be careful doing this because long fingernails can tear the foil. And the thickness of the pan means that the liner will be just a tad too large to simply slip into place. Once the pan is lined, just spray it lightly with foil and you’re good to go. When making the crust, after you’ve added the flour, mix briefly on low speed just until the pastry forms large clumps in the bowl. Then press firmly onto the bottom of the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Pour on the filling and bake until set. When completely cool, lift out of the pan and peel away the sides of the foil. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares.