WHO DON’T LIKE LEMON?
Lemon is a universal flavor. I have never met anyone who doesn’t like lemon.
The secret to a great Lemon Square is fresh lemon – peel and juice. I’ve made these with bottled juice and they’re just not the same. Not as tart, not as….lemony. I found with bottled juice the sugary sweetness overpowers the tartness, and these are plenty sweet enough. (HINT: You can zest lemons in advance and freeze the zest, placing it on wax paper in the freezer, then putting the frozen zest in an air tight plastic bag to use when you need it. With the price of lemons, I’d shop a sale. They’ll keep for about six months. You can also freeze the juice; even previously frozen it’s much better than concentrated.)
This recipe was developed years ago, for my cafes, Fieldstones Sweet and Savory Foods and The Tattoo Turtle. They sold well year round, but in the summer time we couldn’t keep them in stock. We’d make variations on the theme, using different fruit and adding in white chocolate sometimes. I’ve also swirled blackberry or strawberry preserves into the batter.
I made this recipe with blueberries, because…well because I had blueberries that I needed to use. Blueberries and lemon is a classic pairing.
This recipe also calls for pure lemon extract. You can use imitation, but it will affect the flavor.
For the crust, the butter needs to be cold and hard. I cut it into tiny cubes about a quarter inch thick, then stick it back in the fridge for about ten minutes while I get out the food processor and measure the flour and sugar. I also start my prep grating the lemons on a micro plane, as this is the most time consuming part of this very quick and easy recipe. Then I cut the butter, and gather the rest.
When making the tart shell, just dump the full recipe into the pan (I use aluminum half sheet pans I get from a restaurant supply store. They’re indestructible, easy to clean (soak them for ten minutes in hot water to soften any caramelized sugar or crust). When tamping down the butter/flour crumbs I use a flat bottomed stainless measuring cup, but I have also used a water glass.
From start to finish this recipe takes only 20 minutes, plus oven time. Be sure to peek in on the tart for the final baking as the sugar can burn quickly. My family fights over the slightly caramelized end pieces, and for presentation I have sometimes cut around the edges of the baking pan so the final cut pieces are clean and neat, then after I cut the squares I cut them again on the diagonal for Lemon Triangles (half of one of these squares is more than my usual daily allotment of sugar).
Ingredients
- 4 cups All purpose flower
- 2 cups Unsalted sweet cream butter cut into small pieces and well chilled
- 1 cup Confectioners sugar
Filling
- 8 Large eggs
- 4 cups Granulated sugar
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Grated fresh lemon peel About 2 large lemons
- 3/4 cup Fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Pure lemon extract
- 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Blueberries
- Confectioners sugar To garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. FOR THE BASE: Mix together in processor until combined in a coarse crumb. Pat into bottom of pan til tightly packed.Bake at 350°F until golden, about 20 minutes.FOR THE FILLING:Mix eggs and sugar until fully incorporated. Add in powder, salt, lemon peel and stir to combine. Add in fresh lemon juice and extract. Whisk to combine.Pour filling into crust right out of oven. Sprinkle blueberries into filling. Return to oven and bake for 20 – 25 Minutes, until golden and firm. Cool in pan. Cut into squares. Coat top with confectioners sugar just before serving. Can sit out for extended time, but leftovers should be refrigerated.