Lemon Bars with a Twist

Jennifer's Persimmon Lemon Bars. Photo: The Skinny Chef

I was walking past my local fruit stand last week and spotted plump orange persimmons -- also called fruit of the gods. But what can you make with them?

Since I don't use persimmons very often, I decided to grab a few and see what summer treat I could come up with. Juicy tart lemons are a staple for me during the summer season and can be easily added to drinks, grilled seafood and everything in between.

As my neighbors had been asking me to bring those classic, tangy lemon bars to their weekend barbecue, I devised a fusion lemon bar that has the perkiness of lemon with the brilliant, creamy orange flesh of the persimmon.

Get Jennifer's Persimmon Lemon Bars recipe after the jump.

When you pick your persimmons for this recipe, make sure they are perfectly ripe; give them a gentle squeeze to make sure they are soft to the touch, or let them ripen on your window sill for a few days. The unripe fruits have an astringent, almost stinging sensation on the tongue and might turn you off on this luscious fruit for good.

Persimmons make great desserts and also happen to be a mini-fountain of youth. They're an antioxidant-packed dream, contain Vitamins A and C, no fat and weigh in at only around 100 calories for a large fruit.

Persimmon Lemon Bars

Makes 12 bars

Ingredients for crust
8 low-fat graham crackers
2 tablespoons butter or trans-fat free margarine, softened
1 tablespoon water

Ingredients for filling
2 ripe persimmons, such as Hachiya, stemmed, chopped, pit discarded
3 lemons, zest and juice
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Break the graham crackers and place them in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form. Add the butter or margarine, and water. Pulse a few times until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch-by-8-inch pan.

Rinse out the bowl of the food processor. Add the persimmons and process until they're smooth. Add the lemon zest and juice, eggs, sugar and flour. Process until smooth. Poor the persimmon mixture over the crust and bake at 350 degrees F, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes until the topping is firm around the edge but still wiggles in the center. Cool completely and cover and chill at least 2 hours before slicing into 12 squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Learn more about Jennifer at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.