Baking is definitely a hobby of mine. I particularly love to makes pies and pastries.
And let me tell you, this little confection deserves some recognition.
First, let me get this out of the way: I love anything that has to do with lemons. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.
And I love me a good lemon bar. (My brother Darrec, however, does not :)
THIS is a good lemon bar.
One inch tall. The perfect buttery crust. Tons of lemony filling, not too tart. Not too sweet. Chewy top layer dusted with powdered sugar.
Three distinct layers. No soggy crust.
Three distinct layers. No soggy crust.
I would like to declare, without one bit of hesitation; that this is the KING of all lemon bars:
You bet, this bite went right into my mouth as soon as I snapped this shot...
Lemon Squares
from San Francisco pastry chef Emily Luchetti
for the crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
12 T cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
To make the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flour and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until mixed. Add butter and continue to mix until butter is the size of small peas, about 30 seconds. The mixture will be very dry. Gently press mixture evenly onto the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
for the filling:
6 large eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup plus 2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c. flour
To make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and then the flour. Pour filling on top of crust.
Bake until lemon filling is set, about 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and then put in the refrigerator for 1 hour or keep at room temperature for 3 hours before cutting. Cut into squares, with a wet, sharp knife, measuring about 2 1/4 inches and dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar.
Don't eat the whole pan!!!
