Lemony Delicious

Dusting the cooled lemon bars with powdered sugar

     With each year that passes by, I learn more and more about what I like and dislike and more and more about what makes me me.  I think these two concepts are closely related, a lot of what makes us who we are is what we like and dislike, what we will associate ourselves with and what we will distance ourselves from.  Of course I am speaking to the much deeper decisions we make, but these bigger, deeper decisions are also made up of the little decisions that occur in our everyday life.  One of the everyday conclusions that I have come to, is that besides the occasional square of dark chocolate, scoop of Rocky Road ice cream, or Girl Scout cookie, I most of the time prefer a lighter (as in opposite of heavy, not necessarily healthier), more tart or savory dessert like a slice of pie or fresh fruit with vanilla bean ice cream.

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     I am starting to notice that I have the urge to describe all of the dessert recipes from The Tassajara Book as easy to make.  Perhaps it's the comparison between the time it takes for the dough to rise in the bread recipes, or maybe it's just because these desserts aren't fussy or time consuming.  I think the desserts in this book are the way they are for a reason; so that they can be made on a more regular basis and will, at the same time, deter you from eating store-bought crap-desserts made from ingredients you can't pronounce.  These lemon bars make a delicious dessert and are very lemony indeed. My point is that it's possible to have a sensible meal and have dessert and it's also possible to eat bread on a regular basis, contrary to the carb-monster myth that persists today.   

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     I embrace all body types and I know that the reality of a stick thin woman is more rare than the media would lead us to believe.  We have an obesity epidemic on our hands, and the pressure that women (young and old alike) are under to look like a Playboy bunny, is so detrimental to one's confidence and appreciation of one's uniqueness.  Oddly enough, at the same time, the media is dominated by advertisements and commercials for fast food, soda, and junk.  It really is unfair, unhealthy and unrealistic.  Because of this, I am a big believer in moderation and balance rather than deprivation and sacrifice.   As my metabolism begins to slow, it is important to me to know what I actually, truthfully enjoy eating, as wasting calories on something I don't really enjoy will weigh me down. So, I will make and eat lemon bars, but I am trying to learn to pass on the donuts brought in to my office.  One of my bigger decisions is that I would rather enjoy small portions of delicious homemade desserts and meals than a bucket full of deep fried mystery meat.

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Butter and sugar...
I didn't say that this was a light dessert, did I?

The baked lemon bars cooling.

#88 Lemon Bars

From The Tassajara Bread Book

For the shortbread crust:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 tablespoon pieces

To prepare the crust, work the flour, sugar, and butter together until they form a dough.  Press this into an 8-inch round or square pan.  Bake in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.

For the lemon filling:

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 eggs

zest of 1 lemon

Prepare the filling while the shortbread is baking. Whisk together the sugar, baking powder, lemon juice and eggs along with the zest.  Pour this mixture over the baked crust and continue baking another 30 minutes or until slightly browned on top.  After it cools, sift a little powdered sugar over the top, if you like.  Cut into squares.