lemon (bar)

Sometimes it's hard deciding what to bake. Actually, it's always hard. There are too many recipes to choose from--new ones to try, old ones to revisit; but beyond choosing the recipe is the difficulty in figuring out what to make for whom.
 

There are faces, personalities, memories of family and friends intertwined with food.

Lemon is my friend B. Musically we were a sonic pair back of PCP in the 2011 drum corps season; but this past season our tag as the sonic pair went beyond the notes.

We high-fived for everything we both had in common: from calluses on the same fingers to sunburns on the corners of our mouths (a really strange and painful place to have a sunburn), to the same neon green air mattress, to college, to even our majors! I remember one time on tour B exclaimed, "I looove lemon bars", and somehow that exact moment stuck with me, even the enthusiasm in her voice change when she said it. Every time I see, read, hear about lemon bars or just lemons in general, B pops into my mind.

My first time making lemon bars (and a healthier version too) and they turned out quite successful! The crust is a crisp and sweet honey almond cookie, the filling custard-like and tart. I used brown sugar in place of white granulated, and the only difference is the slightly darker hue that is barely noticeable.


B, if you're reading this, I dedicate these lemon bars and this blog post to you! Though I can't share them with you right now, I'll remember to make these for a future sonic pair reunion :)

Lemon Bars

adapted from Gluten Free Home Bakery & Make it Naked
yields about 8 bars (can't vouch for the approximation since I made two heart-shaped ones)

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/8 cup honey
1 1/2 tbs butter, softened
1/2 cup almond flour

Filling:

2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbs lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup oat flour

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease a small to medium baking dish and set aside. 
- In a small bowl, combine the almond flour with softened butter and honey and mix until it becomes a crumbly dough. Press the dough down into the bottom of the baking dish and bake about 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Poke the crust several times with a fork before putting it in the oven so air doesn't get trapped beneath the dough while baking. 
- In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, and old flour and combine until the ingredients are well incorporated. 
- Once the crust is done baking, remove from the oven and pour the lemon mixture onto the crust. 
- Place the baking dish back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 
- Remove, cut into quadrilaterals, and serve! Dust with powdered sugar if desired.