When life hands you lemons...

« Mmmm...fresh lemon bars. »

I'm procrastinating on packing my suitcase by putting a few things up before I leave. It is a very effective ploy. :)

Last week I heard that new hardware to replace the current headache at work was going to be ordered, so I asked my boss what sort of baked treat he would like in return for the good news and he suggested something with lemon. I immediately thought of lemon bars and found that CI had two different recipes, one with 4 eggs and one with 9 eggs, both with the same amount of lemon juice. I figured I'd give the one with fewer eggs a try and they were incredibly good. So good, in fact, that one of the guys at work had four of them. :) My only complaint is that the filling is very liquid when you pour it into the warm crust and you have to make sure the paper and the crust are flush to the edges of the pan or else it seeps underneath where you don't want it to be. The 9-egg version of the recipe calls for thickening it in a double boiler before pouring it into the warm crust and that might be something to try with the 4-egg recipe but sealing the crust seems to work well enough without the extra work and cholesterol.

It's a nice change of pace to have something with a tangy citrus flavour in the dead of winter. It might be interesting, too, to substitute tyrni/buckthorn berry juice for the lemon juice and add a bit more sugar.

Perfect Lemon Bars

Time: about 15 minutes prep + 80 minutes cooling and baking time
Makes: about two dozen 1 1/2- to 2-inch squares
Source: CI

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups or 4,25 dl unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 2/3 cup or 1,5 dl confectioners' sugar plus extra to decorate finished bars
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt 
• 1 1/2 sticks or 170g unsalted butter, at very cool room temperature

Lemon Filling:

• 4 large eggs beaten lightly
• 1 1/3 cups or 3,25 dl granulated sugar 
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest from 2 large lemons
• 2/3 cup or 1,5 dl lemon juice from 3 to 4 large lemons, strained
• 1/3 cup or 3/4 dl whole milk 
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt 

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350F/190C. Lightly butter a 13x9-inch/33x22-cm baking dish and line with one sheet parchment or wax paper. Dot paper with butter, then lay second sheet crosswise over it. Make sure that the paper sticks well to the pan.
2. Mix flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Grate butter on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers or stir with mixer for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse. Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2-inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. While the crust cools, take a spoon and push the edges up to the edge of the pan to keep the filling from seeping underneath.
3. For the filling: Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then stir in lemon juice, zest, milk, and salt to blend well.
4. To finish the bars: Reduce oven temperature to 325F/160C. Stir filling mixture and pour into warm crust (Note: crust must be warm). Bake for about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, fold paper down, and cut into serving-size bars, wiping knife or pizza cutter clean between cuts, as necessary. Sift confectioners’ sugar over bars, if desired.