Winter Lemons

It’s rainy, stormy weekend, but the Meyer lemon tree just outside my back door has a hundred ripe lemons. Winter is the season for these Meyers. From January until April, I’ve got free fruit. I peel off the rind to make limoncello and chop up strips for cooking and baking. I squeeze the juice into jars for picata sauce, vinaigrettes and fresh lemonade. A stash of juice and rind are in my freezer to use after April when the season's over and I have wait for next January.

These Meyers are much less tart than the usual year-round lemons They’re not exactly “sweet” but are a special kind of “sour.” Think of sunshine with a spike of white vinegar and oranges. Capture it and share it in these intense bites of lemon bars.

Meyer Lemon Bars

2 cups sifted, all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup melted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
4 slightly beaten eggs
4 tbls lemon juice
2 tbls grated lemon peel

powdered sugar in a shaker

Melt the butter.
Sift the flour and powdered sugar together.
Add butter to flour and sugar. Combine quickly to make a dough. Don’t overwork it – i.e. let it get too soft or wet. Add a little more flour if necessary.

Press dough into an 7 1/2”x 12” rectangular pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes until lightly browned and fully cooked in the middle. Remove from oven.

In a bowl, stir together the beaten eggs, baking powder and granulated sugar. Add lemon juice and lemon peel. Taste this mixture. (Yes, while it’s still “raw.”) Depending on sweetness of the lemon, you may want to add more juice, peel or sugar. Pour this mixture into the baked crust.

Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees or until lightly browned on top.

Cool completely. Carefully slide a knife around the pan to loosen the crust. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. Cut into bars. Remove from pan with a spatula.

Enjoy.