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Luscious Lemon Bars (Click
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Meyer Lemon Bars (makes one 8-inch square pan)
Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Filling:
2 large eggs
1 cup superfine or bakers' sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp finely grated Meyer lemon zest*
1/4 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice*
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment
paper.
To make crust:
Combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
Add butter and pulse until the mixture is pebbly. Press evenly into the bottom
of your prepared pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes. Set aside
crust.
To make filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in lemon
zest and juice until well combined. Pour over crust (it's okay if crust is still
hot). Bake until filling is just set, about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely
before serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.
* Note: I use Meyer lemons (because we have a tree in our garden). Meyer
lemons are less tart than the Eureka lemons found in the supermarket.
buttered & floured by Mary on 11/02/2006
Luscious Lemon Bars |
I'm ashamed to admit it but I am a lemon bar snob. I'm not proud of
it. Well, maybe the word snob is a bit harsh. Let's just say that I have
very strong preferences when it comes to lemon bars.
I prefer a delicate, buttery crust with a slight "snap" to it.
And the crust should never be more than half the overall height of the
lemon bar. I don't want to chew endlessly on an overly thick and,
inevitably, tough crust. Or even worse, mash my way through the gummy
mess of an underdone crust.
I prefer a dominant lemon flavor untainted by the milkiness of cream,
evaporated or condensed milk. It should be just tart enough to make my
mouth pucker a teeny bit. Don't get me wrong. A creamy lemon confection
has its place in my dessert kingdom, but not in the form of lemon bars.
Sorry, milk, but tart is king.
I prefer my lemon filling to be smooth and soft, but not runny. When the
filling hits my tongue it should be luscious. Overcooking the filling
will turn the lemon bar into a sponge. No one wants to eat a lemon
flavored sponge, least of all me.
I prefer my lemon bars dusted with confectioners' sugar. But not so
heavily dusted that exhaling will shower the table (or your neighbor)
with sugar.
And finally, I prefer to eat my lemon bars with a fork. That's not
snobbish, is it?
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