Ok, I am beginning to think that I just don’t like Meyer lemons. I was uninspired by a pots de creme recipe last week so I needed to take another shot by making some lemon bars. And again, they were quite good – sweet and light. But I found myself longing for the tang of Eureka lemons. I like my citrus desserts to be sharp and sour.
For example, I love key lime pie. Key limes produce really tart juice and a slice of that pie is wonderful with a scoop of whipped cream on top. And now I’m going to give you my recipe for key lime pie. Really, it’s a pretty standard recipe that’s available all over the internet. It’s so easy that it needs three sentences. Mix one can of sweetened condensed milk, 4 egg yolks, and 1/2 cup key lime juice until incorporated. Pour into a graham cracker crust and bake at 350°F until set, about 20 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours and serve with whipped cream. So easy! And so delicious!
But back to the bars. I liked them, but I didn’t think there was anything special there. I would eat them again, but I wouldn’t take the time and energy to make them again. Look out for recipes in the future where I use regular old Eureka lemons for that mouth-watering pucker.
adapted from Simply Recipes
Meyer Lemon Bars
makes 9 bars
1/2 cup of butter, melted
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour an 8×8 baking dish.
- Whisk together the sugar and melted butter until sugar clumps disappear. Whisk in the egg, vanilla, lemon juice, zest, and mascarpone and mix until smooth.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until just incorporated.
- Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.
Meyer lemons — the mild, slighty sweet, not very tangy citrus that I was not that impressed by.
I made sure everything was mise en place and that I didn’t eat all the mascarpone straight from the tub before adding it to the blondies.
Again, they weren’t bad, they just weren’t what I expect or crave from a lemon dessert.
But they were definitely pretty. You can even see the bits of lemon zest in the bar. I bet these would be delicious with some vanilla ice cream!
Mimi
/ March 20, 2010Sorry you were disappointed. I love Meyers but you’re right, you have to be ready for the flavor to be mellow. The flavor in the rind is different too. More resinous. You have to take that into consideration for uses that depend on the rind like liquor. The bars look great though! I may have to try them next year when my tree produces more lemons – I have one left and while it would be sufficient, I would probably prefer using more zest.
jerseycook
/ March 22, 2010Thanks Mimi. Do you have any good Meyer lemon recipes you could share? If you have a tree, I bet you’ve found a great way to make use of them.