Lately I’ve been looking for recipes that use a lot of lemons. This is why:
Of course it’s a blessing from the gods of edible gardens to have this kind of bounty – but look at all these freakin’ lemons!!!
It’s like a ticking time bomb. They all ripen at the same time! Use ’em or lose ’em. And believe me, there are only so many lemons you can give away to friends. It’s possible I’m the only person in Los Angeles who stresses about lemons rotting on the tree, but if there’s anyone else out there, please contact me with ideas.
Meanwhile, let there be lemon bars!!! This recipe is straight from the Joy of Cooking.
Lemon Bars
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Whisk together in a bowl:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
Pinch of salt
Add:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter (they say unsalted, but I used salted and mine taste awesome), cut into small pieces
Using a pastry blender or a big knife, cut in the butter until the mixture is the size of small peas. Press the dough into the bottom and 3/4 inch up the sides of an ungreased 13 / 9 inch baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Leave the pan to cool and reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Whisk together in a large bowl until well combined:
6 large eggs
3 cups sugar (ouch! Okay, I didn’t say they were healthy)
Stir in:
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about five lemons)
Sift over the top and stir in until well blended and mooth:
1/2 cup flour
Pour the batter over the baked crust. Bake about 35 minutes, until the topping is set. Cool in the pan on a rack.