GrapefruitBlackberry Bars

Author Ben Mims thinks grapefruit is under appreciated in baking, and I agree. His riff on classic lemon squares gets a little sweet tang by drizzling in blackberry sauce. 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3¾ cups granulated sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 /8 teaspoon kosher salt 6 ounces blackberries 1 tablespoon fresh lime

juice 1 tablespoon pomegranate

juice 2 tablespoons grated

grapefruit zest ½ tablespoon grated

lemon zest 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice 2 tablespoons fresh lemon

juice 6 large eggs Confectioners’sugar for sprinkling bars (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13inch baking pan evenly with baking spray.

In a bowl, beat the butter and ½ cup of the granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and mix until combined. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press it into the pan to cover the bottom and about halfway up the sides. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes. Bake until light brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

In a small saucepan, combine the blackberries, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, lime juice and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Press through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the juice from the berries. Let cool completely. Discard solids.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 cups granulated sugar and 1 cup flour. (This is to prevent lumps of flour from forming in the filling). Then add the grapefruit and lemon zests, grapefruit and lemon juices, and eggs and whisk until smooth. Pour the filling onto the crust, then drizzle the blackberry sauce in stripes over the top. Drag a toothpick or knife through the filling and sauce to create swirls. Bake until the filling is just set in the middle but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 35 to minutes. Let cool completely at room temperature; then refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set the filling before cutting into bars. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving. Makes: 12-16 large bars or 2 to 3 dozen bite size — Adapted from “Sweet & Southern” by Ben Mims (Rizzoli, $39.95)

546 calories (percent of calories from fat, 30), 7 grams protein, 91 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 18 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 147 milligrams cholesterol, 58 milligrams sodium.