Last year we dutifully ate our
black eyed peas, and where did that get us? So this year
Sebastian and I revisited one of our favorite New Year's Day:
we did absolutely nothing, all day, ate brunch just as the sun was
going down, and enjoyed these cold lemon bars in a warm
apartment.
This is
Sebastian's
recipe and he has no idea where it originally came from. All we
know is that it is now copied in a cartoonist's handwriting on
a weathered index card, and they come out perfect each and every
time. The crust is buttery, flaky, and rich, the lemon layer sweet
and brightly puckery at once, the perfect marriage of
opposites.
These make quite a few
lemon bars, which I would encourage you to give away to your
friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Otherwise you will be visiting
the fridge upwards of twice a day, cutting out little squares of
lemony goodness, trying to dispose of these lovelies before your
new year
detox begins. Which is what I was doing.
Sebastian's
New Year Lemon Bars
makes 3-4 dozen
for the dough
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
for the lemon filling
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar for sprinking on top
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, mix
ingredients for the dough and pack into an ungreased 9 x 13 baking
dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
In another mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add sugar, lemon juice,
and zest. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into egg mixture and
beat. Pour over dough layer as soon as it comes out from the
oven.
Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake another 20
minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cool, and then cut into
squares.
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