Today I decided to make lemon bars. I love lemon bars, Theric loves lemon bars, doesn't everyone love lemon bars? However, these bars were not going to be just for us, they were going to be a small token of appreciation to our dear neighbors who will soon be moving away to Boston with their sweet three-year-old son (one of the Big O's favorite playmates) and their brand new baby boy.
The point is that these were going to be a gift, so they had to be good.
They had to be perfect.Unfortunately I do not currently posses the recipe that produces PERFECT lemon bars. I have recipes that produce OK, mediocre and gross lemon bars. But yesterday I found a recipe titled 'Perfect Lemon Bars' in a preview copy of Cook's Illustrated Magazine I had lying around.
The article regarded their experiments in creating the 'perfect' lemon bars:
"I set out to develop a recipe for a lemon bar with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crust that has a good balance of sweetness and richness. The lemon topping I was looking for needed to have a true, vibrant lemon taste, a light texture, and good mouthfeel. I also wanted to find just the right balance between filling and crust in terms of both texture and flavor. In addition, I wanted a good, clean cut when serving, without the crust crumbling or the topping falling over. Last but not least, since lemon bars are a casual treat to make without a lot of fuss, I wanted a recipe that was simple and straightforward."
My needs are similar:
Tart lemon flavor, but no too tart, tender crust with a nice crumble to it, not soggy, and a little sweet, like a shortbread cookie. The proportion of lemon filling to crust must be correct, meaning more filling than crust. And the filling must hold it's own--it can't ooze everywhere a few minutes after you cut the bars--it must hold it's shape yet not be gummy or hard or gross.
I think I have maybe tasted two or three lemon bars in my lifetime that have met all these criteria. One was from a bakery in Tehachapi, another at a church potluck.
The magazine's experimentation with the recipe seemed thorough and the resulting recipe didn't look overly difficult or intimidating; very do-able. So I gathered my supplies, picked some Meyer lemons from my lemon tree, and the Big O and I went to work making lemon bars.
Overall the recipe was simple, and had I not been making them with a three-year-old it is possible it wouldn't have taken me four hours to complete them. But it did. Four hours is a rather large investment of time and one expects (and hopes) that such an investment will yield excellent, or even just good results.
But I guess I my expectations are too high.
The resulting lemon bars are
edible but certainly do not meet all my requirements. In noway are they 'perfect'. I am
VERY disappointed with them. They are certainly not good enough to give as a gift. Fortunately the Big O likes them, so someone will enjoy them, because it won't be the neighbors.
I think the neighbors will be getting some fresh chocolate chip cookies instead.
So my dear readers, the question I pose to you is, do you have the 'Perfect' lemon bar recipe?
If so, will you please share it with me?
