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Lemon: The Ultimate Sour Lemon Bars

Source of Recipe

Bon Appetit 10/90


Recipe Introduction

I found this posted somewhere on the internet.. Cant remember who the original poster was, but they included some suggestions at the end of the recipe which I've included here.

List of Ingredients

Crust:
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Pinch salt
1/2 Cup unsalted butter -- Cut In Pieces
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
5 Large eggs -- room temp
2 Cups sugar
1 Cup lemon juice, fresh -- strained
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tablespoons lemon peel -- grated


Recipe

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 9" square pan with foil, extending 1" above sides of pan. Grease uncovered 2 sides of pan. Combine flour, powdered sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture appears sandy. Add vanilla and process until dough begins to come together. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 28 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare topping: Whisk eggs and 2 Cups sugar in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in lemon juice, then flour. Strain into another bowl. Mix in grated lemon peel. Reduce oven to 325ºF. Pour filling over hot crust. Bake until sides are set and filling no longer moves in center when pan is shaken, about 22 minutes Cool on rack . Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Using foil sides as aid, lift dessert from pan. Fold down foil sides. Cut into 16 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half, forming triangles. Sift top with additional powdered sugar.


*** Poster's suggestions: Just greasing the entire pan, and not messing with the foil works ok. The bars come out of the pan just fine. However, I do use Pam instead of butter to grease the pan. The lemon peel may tend to make the bars bitter. I choose to reduce the amount of peel, or have eliminated it all together. There is a slightly less lemon flavor if you eliminate the peel, though. I also do not strain the lemon/egg mixture. Instead strain the fresh lemon juice before adding it to the eggs.