Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Best I've Ever Had

I hope you'll forgive me for being absent for almost 2 weeks. It seems the time is just flying past me and before I know it, it's been 3 days, then 7, then 10 days and those m&m's cookies are still at the top of my blog. Even though they were delicious and colorful, I was getting tired of looking at them. How 'bout you? I had great intentions of updating sooner but this baby is sucking all the energy out of me. But I'm not complaining because I know how blessed I am to be carrying this miracle. All that means is that you'll hear a little less from me. But when I do blog, I can promise you it will be something good. Really good, like these Meyer lemon-lime bars.

I was going to share with you the birthday cake that I made for my FIL a couple weekends ago, but I made these a few days ago and they were so good they jumped to the top of the list. I made these for a friend as a "thank you". My friend, Lori, brought over some homemade sausage and chicken gumbo and white rice after I got back home from my surgery. After eating take-out for over a week, a homemade meal is just what we needed. Thank you Lori! I know she's a huge lemon fan so I made these especialy for her. But they made so many that I kept a few for myself too :-)

I used 6 Meyer lemons in this recipe, but I didn't quite have enough juice to make the recipe so I added the zest and juice of 2 Persian limes as well. If you've never had Meyer lemons before, they are a hybrid fruit- a cross between lemons and mandarins and aren't quite as tart as regular lemons. They have almost a floral fragrance to them and their skin is smooth, shiny and darker in color. Because they aren't as tart, the addition of the limes perked them up quite nicely. In my opinion they were they perfect combination of puckery citrus and sweet.

I've never made lemon bars before because I've never had one that I really liked. I know that should have made me want to make my own, but I never did. I just assumed they were all lousy and they weren't something I really liked even though I wanted to. But I was so wrong about that theory because I loved these bars. I saw this recipe on girlichef's blog. She raved about these bars and it intrigued me to make them almost immediately. These are a little thicker than the average lemon bar, they have a buttery shortbread crust and the filling is almost like lemon curd, dusted with sugar. If it means anything at all, I haven't had much of a sweet tooth lately, but I had 5 of these! Please make these and totally disregard the fact that they have 3 sticks of butter, 6 eggs and over 3 cups of sugar in them. That's what makes them so good!

Meyer Lemon-Lime Bars adapted from Ina Garten and girlichef

Printer Friendly Version

For the crust:

  • 3/4 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

For the filling:

  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. finely grated Meyer lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice (I used 6 small Meyer lemons and 2 limes)
  • 1 cup flour
  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Butter a 9 x 13 x 2" baking pan, then line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. This is optional but will make removing the bars from the pan, much simpler.

For the crust: Cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter mixture until just mixed.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the bottom of prepared pan.

Chill the pan while the oven preheats to 350° F.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling: Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon and lime zest, lemon and lime juice, and flour.

Pour over the crust and bake for 35-45 minutes, until filling is set.

Let cool to room temperature. Cut into squares or triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Makes about 24 squares.

I just love this picture of my nosey little girl so I thought I'd share!

50 comments:

Kalei's Best Friend said...

Ina is the queen!. Any Ina recipe is a keeper!. These look so sinful...
Love that photo of your sweetie's nose.

Le palais gourmand said...

Trop tentant ces carrés au citron, il faut absolument que je teste!!

Bonne journée :-)

Debbie said...

I've made a few of Ina's sweets before and they have all been great. Now I want to make those bars. They look fantastic Monica....

Denise said...

These look so yummy. I love Ina!!! Believe me once that beautiful baby is here you will find they still suck the life out of you. lol...in a good way...Take it easy

Ruth Hiebert said...

These do look super good,even at 7AM.I am happy to hear you and Baby are doing well.Just take good care of yourself.

Keeley said...

I love anything with citrus! Believe it or not, I've never had Meyer Lemons. I saw some a Costco a while ago... maybe they still have them.

Jeanine - The Baking Beauties said...

Anything lemon is a thing of beauty! Makes my mouth water just looking at them. I adapted Ina's recipe to gluten free, delicious!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Meyer lemons are all over the stores right now even here in the Great White North. Since I love lemon these bars would be high on my list of priorities.

Jihane @ Sinful Sundays said...

Those look great. I haven't seen Meyer lemons by me yet, but when I do I'm going to try this recipe out!

Julie said...

I have yet to find this elusive meyer lemon...but someday when I do, it will be a wonderful thing. Especially if I can turn it into something fabulous like this...yum!

Allie said...

I have never been a fan of lemon bars but these look amazing! I just may have to give them a try. So glad that you and baby are doing well:)

Maris (In Good Taste) said...

These lemon bars look delicious!

Kate H.(www.sprinkletherapy.blogspot.com) said...

Oh my goodness gracious, I AM SO HAPPY FOR Y'ALL!!! What a blessing! I'll be praying for you.

Nonna said...

I have been disappointed in the lemon bar recipes I've tried in the past...something just wasn't right and one recipe looked good baked but the tart to sweet ratio was way off and I had to throw the whole batch away. I'm going to give these a try...thank you !!!

As usual, your photos have my mouth watering too!

OvenDelights said...

I soooo love lemon bars! The only problem is my husband doesn't, and I feel guilty eating the whole pan when I do make them. I need to seriously make some soon!

Holly said...

Oh man-these look delish-I've been on a MAJOR lemon-lime kick lately:) So these are at the top of my list!:)

Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina said...

I've never made lemon bars either since there are so many recipes 'out there' I wouldn't have known where to begin trying! But your endorsement and girlichef's have convinced me that this IS the recipe!

Kim said...

Ohhhh this girl has a cute little nose that I would like to caress (i love dogs a lot!)... These bars looks perfect, I think I'm going to bake some of these!

beauty be told said...

I remember so clearly how the first trimester drains you of all energy-- you will be a busy baker come the second trimester when your energy returns!! you watch!
i loove lemon bars so much and I am so excited to make these-- I think for Easter for sure :) hope you are feeling well and getting plenty of rest

Unknown said...

I have never really liked lemon bars all that much either, but that's because they are usually a little too tart. But I don't know, these look pretty darn tasty!

Healthy and Homemade said...

Your little one IS a miracle!! <3

These look amazing. I never make lemon bars because I tried once and they were too diet-tasting and dry. I'll have to give your recipe a shot!

Katie said...

These look fabulous! I love the look of the thick lemon curd filling. Must be extra zesty with all that citrus

Sophie said...

They look divine :). I have made leon bars only once but they didn't come out this nice, perfect for summer. Rest away! No need to apologize, the first trimester is a sleepy one :).

Ingrid_3Bs said...

MMMMMmmm, we love us some lemon bars! I'll have to give these babies a try. 5 bars? Yeah, I definitely need to!
~ingrid

ps, I've looking for that cake....chop,chop! :)

Unknown said...

Oh Monica...I love everything citrus/lemony. These look amazing! I can't wait to try them! Thanks for sharing!

Nancy said...

Oh my, these look wonderful! I love the dog's nose too!

Susan at www.ugogrrl.com said...

These are beautiful!

You take care - we look forward to every blog!

Noelle Ritter said...

Love the dog nose shot. They must smell the citrus!

Leslie Harris said...

I absolutely love lemon bars! They're perfect for this wonderful, sunny Spring weather that we're having. What I love most about your recipe is that it's baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan, as opposed to most which are baked in an 9-inch square pan.

On a personal note, I feel like such a terrible friend. I missed your last couple of posts, so I never learned about your pregnancy. Congratulations, Monica! I am so very happy for you and I will keep you and the baby in my prayers. Many blessings to you. :)

Janet said...

That nose! Soooo darn cute!

You just blog less and take care of yourself and the baby more... Go ahead... It's more than okay by me!

Heather S-G said...

Oh Yeah Baby! Big and Fat and Beautiful! Aren't they just the best? And I love your citrus combo...I believe that you ate five, because I couldn't keep my hands off of them, either ;) Thanks for the link love and putting a smile on my face this morning =) xo

Lost in Jello said...

Hi, I stumbled across your blog and love it :) I made these last night and they are amazing so much better than any others I have had. Thank you

Allie said...

How is the little one doing? Or should I say growing? I always look forward to updates! Still praying for you :)

From the Kitchen said...

I've been MIA too. I took a trip to see my son and his wife and got really sick a few days after arriving. I'm still recuperating!! It was so bad that I'm going back next month for a do-over! Glad to hear that you're doing well--the tiredness is all a part of the procedure and the end result will be WONDERFUL!!

These lemon bars look delicious. I think I'll surprise my husband with some.

Best,
Bonnie

Le palais gourmand said...

It's delicious, i love that.

Have a nice day :-)

Natasha @ Saved by the Egg Timer said...

I love Meyer lemons too, they finally showed up in my grocer last wk too. I am not a huge lemon bar fan either but these look great and the taste you describe surely is what I would be looking for too.
Don't worry, we will all be here when you return to normal....and your new normal will never be your old normal. Which is a great thing :)

Restaurante Valerie said...

I discovered your blog and i fell in love! You make amazing things! You're a real baker.

Souffle Bombay (Colleen) said...

Yuuummmm! I love a good lemon dessert and dig a good lemon bar cookie! Love the idea of the addition of lime here! I have to try these :)

The Daily Smash said...

Looks amazing when I pulled up your blog I saw that you changed the pick and before I even knew what they were I said I need to make those lol Look so good. I think I will make them for my easter party. They look so refreshing :) Thanks for sharing. By the way you take all the time you need to rest. Baby comes first :)
Ashley
www.thedailysmash101.blogspot.com

Mehwish said...

I made these today and they turned out perfect.
thk u!

Unknown said...

Recipe sounds good....picture is amazing...but the sweet puppy nose is AWESOME....TOO CUTE

Sherry G said...

I made this recipe, but using only lemons. It was phenomenal!!! Definitely the best lemon bar recipe I have ever made=)

Sue said...

I have a good lemon bar recipe, but these look better. Your lemon layer looks thicker...and I would like that. I can almost smell them from here.

Unknown said...

I made these last weekend for a Ladies Tea at my church. They were amazing!! Thank you so much. I had to use regular lemons, from the east coast, you won't be sorry!!

CarmenAline said...

Gonna try and make these babies tomorrow...I will let you know how they turn out ;) They look absolutely amazing!!!!

Jessica said...

Any ideas for high altitude cooking? A different recipe I have for this ends up being burnt on the top and raw in the middle. I miss having lemon squares!

Cottage Darling said...

I pinned these and made them this afternoon for a dinner party we had this evening. They were absolutely divine. They didn't have time to cool down completely before it was time to serve them and boy am I glad it worked out that way. Everyone was wowed as was I. Simple to make, great instructions, spot on with the use of parchment paper. Thanks for consistently sharing such yummy things.

Monica H said...

Jessica- I really do not have any experience in high altitude baking so I'd hate to give you pointers and still not have htem turn out the way you want them. I'd suggest googling "high altitude baking" and see what you come up with.

Cottage Darling- I'm so glad you liked them!

~Monica

ski_gpsy said...

What a beautiful blog! This is my first time here, I came by way of Pinterst, and I have to tell you that you are an excellent food photographer and that after I make some of your recipes, I'll probably think you're an excellent cook as well. Really, gorgeous blog. Good Work.

taralynn819 said...

These are almost out of the oven now! (I used regular lemons though, just searched Pinterest for a good recipe.) I ended up making a pan and a half because I needed to use up 8 regular sized lemons. They smell amazing!!

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