Recipe - Cherry Crumb Bars

SHORTBREAD BASE
1 One fourth cup Allpurpose flour
One fourth cup Granulated sugar
One fourth teaspoon Salt
One half cup Cold unsalted butter, cut in
8 pieces
1 Egg white

FILLING
2 One fourth cup Canned sour cherries, drain,
reserve 1 cup
Three fourths cup Granulated sugar
One fourth teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoon Cornstarch

TOPPING
1/3 cup Allpurpose flour
2 tablespoon Packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Granulated sugar
1 pn Salt
1/3 cup Quickcooking oats
3 tablespoon Cold unsalted butter, cut in
4 pieces

Heat oven to 350°. Line an 8inch square baking pan with foil, letting ends
extend above pan on 2 sides.

Shortbread: Process flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to mix.
Scatter butter on top and process just until a dough forms. Press dough
gently over bottom of prepared pan. Pour egg white over dough and tilt pan
until egg white covers dough completely, then pour off excess. Bake until
golden brown, 2025 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare filling and topping: Bring Three fourths cup of the cherry juice,
the sugar and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk cornstarch into
remaining One fourth cup (cold) cherry juice, then whisk into boiling mixture
until mixture thickens, boils and turns clear, 34 minutes. Remove pan from
heat and stir in cherries.

Topping: Process flour, both sugars and salt a few seconds to mix. Add oats
and butter and process a few seconds until evenly blended. Remove base from
oven and increase oven temperature to 425°. Spread filling evenly over
base, then sprinkle topping evenly over filling.

Bake until topping is lightly browned, about 25 minutes, then broil until
topping is a slightly deeper brown, watching carefully that it doesn't
scorch. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack before lifting foil by ends
onto a cutting board. Cut in 16 squares; remove from foil.

Recipe by: Women's Day 4/22/97 Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #610 by The
Taillons taillon@access.mountain.net on May 13, 1997