Über Super Ultra Lemony Lemon Bars

First, Happy Valentine's Day!
To celebrate Valentine's Day, and the inherently tart-sweet nature of relationships, I set out to make my boyfriend's favorite dessert: lemon bars. Lemon bars are amongst the most delicious desserts, and everyone I've ever offered one to has declared that these ones in particular are amazing.

Disclaimer: I love sour. I drank about a half a cup of straight, fresh squeezed, leftover lemon juice while I was making these lemon bars. As for the recipe, I squeezed about six lemons for these desserts (you probably need only three if you follow the recipe exactly), and added way more lemon zest, limoncello, and lemon juice that the recipe requires. This dish, taken from Emeril Lagasse, is already entitled "Super Lemony Lemon Squares", but given the way I’ve altered it the more fitting title should probably be “Ultra Super Lemony Lemon Squares”. If you didn’t like warheads as a kid and if you don’t crave ascorbic acid in the morning, then I’d stick to your angel food cake. However, in the spirit of balance, and knowing that I was cooking for people other than myself, I made these bars more lemony than the recipe, but not quite as lemony as I would have if I was cooking for just Profe and I.

Sadly, Profe and I couldn't cook together this week. I went on a trip to investigate potential graduate programs and am having quite a chilly sojourn with some friends. So, to give us all a little energy to brave the cold (it's eleven degrees Farenheit right now), I decided to make lemon bars for Valentine's Day. Profe did, however, give me his blessing to make lemon bars, because both his and lemons’ ancestors are originally from Asia. And, when you sprinkle the powdered sugar over the lemon bars at the end, they both have spots :) .

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks), plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

• 1 3/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for garnish

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 3/4 teaspoon salt plus a pinch

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

I only used one cup of organic granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

I used 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest

• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strained

I used 1 cup of lemon juice

• 1/4 cup whole milk

• 2 tablespoons limoncello, or other lemon-flavored liqueur, optional

I used 3 tablespoons

Note: if you follow the recipe exactly how I made it then your lemon bars will come out a little more gooey than Emeril's. To compensate for this you could use the entirety of the crust (once prepared I only use about half) or you could use xanthan gum, arrowroot, egg, or any thickening agent. Be careful, though: using thickening agents requires a little extra love and care.

Directions

Lightly butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter and line with 1 sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Butter the top of this sheet of paper with 1 teaspoon of the remaining butter and then lay a second sheet of parchment or waxed paper crosswise over the first sheet. The parchment should be cut large enough so that the sides are even with the top of the baking dish; this extra paper will function as handles to help you remove the lemon squares from the pan later. Set pan aside.

In a large bowl combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour, 2/3 cup of the confectioners' sugar, the cornstarch, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and mix thoroughly. Cut the remaining 12 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using your hands, 2 forks, or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer the butter-flour mixture to the prepared baking dish and press into an even 1/4-inch layer along the bottom and partly up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the crust until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

While the crust is baking, assemble the filling by combining the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and whisking until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, milk, limoncello, and remaining pinch of salt and mix well.

When the crust is golden brown, remove it from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Stir the lemon mixture again, then pour onto the warm crust. Bake until the filling is set, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Grasp the waxed paper that lines the 2 longest sides of the baking dish and remove the bars from the pan by pulling up gently. The entire dessert should easily dislodge and come away from the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and, using a clean knife, cut into squares, wiping knife after each cut. Place a small amount of confectioners' sugar into a small sieve, and sprinkle the bars with the sugar. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, wrapped with plastic wrap, up to 2 days, until ready to serve. I garnished them with sliced heart-shaped strawberries.