Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
I'm Shilpa Uskokovic. And I'm Jesse Sepchak.
We're both senior Test Kitchen editors at Bon Appetit.
And this is BA Bake Club.
Bake Club is Bon Appetit's community of confident and curious bakers.
We're creating the nerdiest and most wholesome corner of the baking internet.
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Chapter 2: What is the journey of Jesse's whole lemon bars recipe?
Every month, we publish a recipe on bonappetit.com that introduces a baking concept we think you should know.
Then you'll go bake, send us any questions you might have or pictures of your finished creations.
And we'll get together here on the podcast to talk about the recipe.
So the June Bake Club recipe for tiny tomato galettes is live now on bonappetit.com. And we'll tell you all about the recipe at the end of this episode.
But for today, we are busting out our blenders because we're going to be talking all about Jesse's recipe for whole lemon bars. Okay, Jesse, tell us about your lemon bars.
Okay, these lemon bars did not start as lemon bars. They went through a journey. First, they were marshmallows. Don't ask how we got there, okay? And then they were like marshmallow cookies. And then something happened. They turned into like... Lemon bars with the marmalade, lemon bars with the candied lemon.
I'm really not seeing this pipeline, but I'm glad you had the vision.
Shilpa missed this pipeline. I did. And then you know what? I ended up on whole lemon bars. And they're really cool because you blend up a lemon, you get like the bitterness, all of that kind of robust like bottom note flavors that lemon can provide with all like the acidity too. So it's really cool.
Wonderful. Before we get too far, we're going to need our cheerful like how-to music. Okay, there it is. Jesse, I see your excitement. I am so sad that I missed out on the development process, but can you take us through the basic steps of this lemon bar very quickly?
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Chapter 3: How do you prepare the shortbread base for lemon bars?
So you really want it to be like a deep summer tan.
Yes. It's like making a fruit pie.
Yes, exactly. Like some things you really need to take it far.
Yeah.
Yeah. And, you know, your patients will be rewarded with a crust that crumbles versus like squidges when you cut down.
Yeah. And it's also pleasant to eat. There's a contrast between like the filling and yours and that I think was the most successful part of your recipe. Okay, moving on to the filling. How did you land on the whole lemon concept?
Okay, I'm like, this is a long story, but okay. I think I said whole lemon bars. Everyone's like, yes. And I was like, hmm, what does that mean? And so the first time I blended up the whole lemons, kind of like this recipe, and then built the curd on top of that blended lemon mixture... And I baked it. And the thing was that the curd was baked nicely. It wasn't overbaked.
However, the tiny little particulates of the lemon made it read like it curdled almost. Oh, yeah. Yes. And it was sad.
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Chapter 4: What steps are involved in making the lemon curd filling?
Yeah.
It interfered with like the silkiness of the filling.
Yes. Yeah. So even if you like perfectly cooked your custard, it would never actually be silky. So then I was like, okay. What if I cook like slices or chopped up lemon for like a jelly topping on top of the curd? You know, use the juice in the curd and then make like a marmalade. So I started with whole slices that I candied, put them on top.
Cool, pretty, but then you go to slice the bar and like that lemon pushes down into the, do you know what I'm saying?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it drags the filling down.
Yes, and it smushes it. Sad. So then I thought, okay, what am I trying to do here with Whole Lemon Bar? So what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to extract the oil from the skin, the bitterness, like the pithiness, like all those things that make lemon, lemon. So I'm like, I don't need the matter, like the physical matter.
So what if I just blend it and extract all of those things and then strain it out? And I did that, and it looked like a normal lemon bar. But then when we ate it, you got that kind of really punch of lemon. And I'm like, this is it.
Yeah, and it wasn't just sweet. It was very multidimensional, that flavor of lemon. Yes. You know, it wasn't just sweet and tart.
Yes, like, you know, you can use extract to get intensity, and it's like that, but different.
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Chapter 5: How do you know when lemon bars are properly baked?
Like I actually think we do our most creative work when we're limited. I'm sort of like, go into that corner and don't come out until you figured how to look at butter, flour, sugar, salt in a way that only your brain could. And so I think that's the other bit of it. Like I also put blinders on in the like,
When I'm creating, you got to get got 86, the white noise, 86, the fuzz, you know what I mean? Because I think we need more new and more additive than we need more of the same, if you will. And so the rest of it is just like, it's flattering if I'm paying attention. But most of the time, I'm like, it's just a recipe I thought was great that I wanted to feed people and share with people.
That's why we put it in our cookbooks. I think that's an important part of being a part of the dessert conversation in the industry and to pay respects to why we are where we are and to hopefully be a part of what's to come.
I love that answer.
Yeah, that's actually really great. And it says a lot about why you started like your own bake club, which is wildly popular and which honestly we took inspiration from. Oh, you guys are so sweet. BA Bake Club is very, very much inspired by you and your bake club and the way you communicate and connect with other people in your audience.
And hearing you say this like really brings everything home for me. Y'all are so sweet.
I mean, baking is community, right? Like I thought I got into baking because... I like sugar. I just had a handful of chocolate chips. I got a whole, if I could turn around the camera and show you all the snacks I have lined up that I'm trying to taste and eat. But as I dug into it a little bit further, I realized Bake Club was like, I'm an introvert. I'm a closeted introvert. It was my conduit.
It still is my conduit to people, to friendships, to relationships, and therefore community. And it wasn't until the pandemic happened that I realized like, oh, this is how I show up. This is how I show up for other people. It's how I show up for myself. And I want to share that with more people because I think it is it is a force that is to be reckoned with.
We need more forces of good and positivity and innovation and creativity. That's why I started Bake Club. And I love that you all have BA Bake Club in the same way. It's sort of like, this is the recipe I think is awesome that I'm obsessed with right now. And I want to share it with you and feed it to you and make it, but also make it in your own way.
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Chapter 6: What are common mistakes when making lemon bars?
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Thanks for listening to Be A Bay Club, and we'll see you next month.