meyer lemon bars.

meyer lemons made my day yesterday.

the idea for making lemon bars first presented itself through a seasonal cooking assignment i was given for my food writing class.  i felt fortunate that my afternoon taken up by grocery shopping, scrubbing lemons, measuring flour and taking photos could be written off as homework, but leisurely afternoons have been few and far between lately, so i’ll take them when I can.

meyer lemon bars

adapted from smitten kitchen

CRUST
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Set the oven at 350 degrees and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking sheet.
2. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 4 minutes.
3. In a bowl with a wooden spoon, combine the flour and salt. With the electric mixer on low, add the flour to the butter until just mixed.
4. With your hands, gather the dough into a ball then press it into the greased baking sheet, building up 1/2 inch edge on all sides.
5. Chill the crust for 15 minutes.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly brown. Cool the crust to room temperature.

LEMON LAYER
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest, grated
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1.  In a metal bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.
2. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, cut into squares, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.