Raspberry Jam Bars
When I was growing up, my family always made lots of jam. I mean really a lot, gallons and gallons of jars covering an entire wall in the kitchen, floor to ceiling. By summertime a 100 pound sack of sugar appeared in the kitchen to preserve all the fruit. Even in big cities, people had access to land to do subsistence farming. My grandparents bought a house in the village about one hour bus drive from Minsk, the capital, and then two miles on foot on a dirt road, winding up and down the hills and across a forest. The jams were made on a wood burning stove in a large bucket which was simmering all summer, first filled with strawberries, raspberries, then with black and red currants, later with plums. No one could possibly eat all that jam.
These jam bars were a great way to use all that jam left over from the previous season. I made them with the raspberry jam my mom made and brought us during her last visit. Often we used to make the bars with blackcurrant jam. I still miss those sour berries, sweet and very tart at the same time at their peak of ripeness, that make your jaw hurt after eating handful. The jam bars are delicious with any good jam, especially with blueberries, strawberries or plums. It is better to use a rather thick jam with fruit pieces and have the filling not too runny.
For the jam bars
3 medium eggs
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup jam
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until sugar dissolves. Grate the butter on a coarse grater and add it to the bowl. Add the baking soda and pour the lemon juice over it to activate. Mix with a fork until combined. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing just enough to create a soft dough. Finish mixing the dough on a lightly floured table and shape it into two balls: a bigger one using about 2/3 of the dough and a smaller one with the remaining 1/3 of the dough. Flatten the dough balls, wrap them in cling film and place the bigger piece into the fridge and the smaller one into the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove the bigger piece of the dough from the fridge and roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Move the paper with the dough to a baking sheet. Spread the jam evenly on top of the dough. Take the second dough piece from the freezer and grate it on a coarse grater to cover most of the jam.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes until the edges turn golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into diamond or square shapes and let cool. The jam bars will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
