Lemon Bars

No cookie screams summer more than lemon bars. The cool lemon filling all shiny and smooth set atop a crisp layer of a shortbread-like cookie instantly cools my body temperature a few degrees and increases my energy level. Okay, it's probably the sugar in the cookie that energizes my body, but my spirit is energized too. The dog days of summer have met their match.

To find a surefire recipe for lemon bars I went right to my fail-safe baking cookbook from Cook's Illustrated. Baking Illustrated is filled with tons of kitchen-tested recipes which turn out perfect pies, cakes, tarts, cookies and provide lots of instruction on how and why to follow certain procedures while baking. It's not a flashy book filled with color photos, but it's a book no serious baker should be without.

The recipe is a bit challenging since it requires several steps to make the lemon curd filling. For me the most difficult step was timing the filling so it was done at the same time the crust comes out of the oven. I juiced and zested the lemons and separated the eggs ahead of the time with help from my mom. My problem was that the lemon curd was ready almost 10 minutes before the crust was finished baking. To slow the process I turned down the flame under the lemon curd and hoped for the best. It worked out okay in the end but I probably would have browned the crust a bit more before I poured the filling on top.

This recipe calls for a thermometer to get the curd temperature just right and a fine mesh sieve to strain the curd. You can probably do without the thermometer by just following the cooking time listed in the recipe, but the fine mesh sieve is a must if you want a smooth lemon filling. And trust me, you do.

I served the lemon squares as dessert after a meal of hamburgers done to perfection on the grill with a corn and black bean salad. The lemon bars were magical. A buttery crust topped with a layer of silky lemon filling which made my lips pucker ever so slightly. My dad absolutely loved them, saying how they were delicious. My mom called them outstanding. And Mike called them light and delectable. My only complaint is that the recipe makes only 16 squares. I guess that's a good thing because I'd end up eating far too many. Try serving them with fresh blueberries.

If you have a favorite summer cookie, let me know. I'd love to hear what comes to your mind when you think about cookies in the summertime.

Lemon Bars

Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus additional for dusting bars
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened but cool

Filling
7 large egg yolks, plus 2 large eggs
1 cup plus two tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice from 4 or 5 lemons plus 1/4 cup lemon zest, finely grated
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoons heavy cream

Make the Crust: Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Fold 2 pieces of foil to measure 9 inches wide. Fit 1 sheet into bottom of pan overlapping the sides about 2 inches. Repeat with second sheet so that sides hang over all four sides of pan. If foil is very thin, double up so that it won't rip when removing the lemon squares from the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray or use non-stick foil.

Unbaked Crust














Place the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then process until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three, 1 second pulses. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the entire pan bottom. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While crust is cooling in the refrigerator, start preparing ingredients for the filling, but do not cook filling until crust is baking. The warm filling must be added to the warm crust.

Separate eggs, juice lemons, zest lemons, and measure sugar.

Egg Yolks













Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake crust until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Make the Filling: In a medium, nonreactive bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and whole eggs until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the granulated sugar and whisked until just combined, about 5 seconds. Add the lemon juice, zest, and salt and whisk until combined, about 5 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a medium, nonreactive saucepan, add butter pieces, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until curd thickens into a sauce-like mixture registering 170 degrees on an instant- read or candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour the curd through a fine mesh strainer set over a clean bowl. Force curd through strainer with wooden spoon. Be sure to scrape excess curd from the bottom of the strainer into the bowl. Take a taste. It's delicious! Stir in heavy cream and then pour curd into the warm crust immediately.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the curd is shiny and the center jiggles slightly when shaken. Cool on a wire rack for about 45 minutes. Remove bars from pan by lifting foil by the edges and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares, wiping knife clean between cuts. Dust bars with confectioner's sugar if desired.

The Final Product













Cookie press rating: 5 cookies (out of five)