tout lemon

Two Christmases ago I was gifted an immersion blender that I had enthusiastically asked for.

It then sat untouched on the floor of my kitchen for six months.

Until I realized how great it is to blend.

This lemon bar recipe is perfect for my blending excitement as you get to pulverize a whole lemon, rind and all, for the filling.

The moral of this post--when life hands you lemons, take them down with your immersion blender.

Recipe follows.


Whole Lemon Bars
(from David Lebovitz)

Crust

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Filling

• 1 lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 4 teaspoons corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Overturn an 8-inch square pan on the counter and wrap the outside snugly with foil, shiny side up. Remove the foil, turn the pan over, and fit the foil into the pan, pressing to nudge the foil into the corners. The smooth it as best you can.

3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 8 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla, stirring just until smooth.

4. Smooth the batter into the bottom of the pan, using your hands or a small offset spatula to get it as level as possible.

5. Bake the crust for 25 minutes, or until it’s deep-golden brown.

6. While the crust is cooking, cut the lemon in half, remove the seeds, and cut the lemon into chunks.

7. Put the chunks of lemon in a food processor or blender along with the sugar and lemon juice, and let it run until the lemon is completely broken up. Add the eggs, corn starch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons melted butter, and blend until almost smooth. (A few tiny bits of lemon pieces are normal and encouraged.)

8. When the crust comes out of the oven, reduce the heat of the oven to 300ºF. Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust and bake for 25 minutes or just until the filling stops jiggling and is barely set.

9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cool, carefully lift out the bars grasping the foil. Cut the bars into squares or rectangles. Sift powdered sugar over the top just before serving, if desired.