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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Lemon Bars In The Cast Iron Skillet






















First off...the heat wave broke. Woke up in the middle of the night to drip....drip.....drip... Fog rolled in off the Pacific Ocean. And it was thick. Yesterday afternoon I decided to make some lemon bars but this time I thought I would try them in the cast iron skillet.And they turned out great. The shortbread bottom was flakey and crumbled in your mouth and the Meyer lemons were so tart and sweet. The recipe came from one of my favorite cookbooks, Jim Fobel's Old fashion Baking Book.Recipes from an American Childhood.

Lemon Bars

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

8 Tablespoons...1 stick cold unsalted butter, sliced

2 large eggs....I warmed mine in warm water in the little bowl

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1. Postion a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl stir together 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Cut in the butter until it resembles a coarse meal and work it with your fingertips till it holds together. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 8 inch square pan. Here is where I went with the cast iron skillet instead. Bake about 15 minutes, until light golden brown. remove, but leave the oven on.

2. Meanwhile, in a meduim bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the eggs until frothy. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, beat at a high speed for 10 minutes, until smooth and slightly thickened.

3. On a sheet of waxed paper combine the remaining 2 Tablespoons flour with the baking powder and salt, gradually beat into the egg mixture, beating just until smooth. Pour over the baked layer and bake about 20 minutes longer, until set and lightly browned. Cool in the pan on a rack. Sift the remaining powdered sugar over the top and cut into bars or in pie shaped pieces if using the cast iron skillet.

A little taste of Spring.

36 comments:

  1. haha...wait until you see what i made this morning. it will be posted tomorrow!!!

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  2. i love lemon bars, lemon anything!
    your recipe looks delicious and the photos so pretty and cheerful, i love yellow too.

    yes, that fog is here too...it's that damp cold that makes me have to bundle up for work!

    enjoy your thursday kary!

    love,
    lori

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  3. Okay, I'm makin' these in my skillet. (this skillet thing is making me fat...and I'm blaming you)

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  4. The lemon bars look wonderful! I still haven't gotten my skillets out and cleaned them, but I will soon. I promise!

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  5. Something else to add to my waistline. I'm beginning to look like Humpty-Dumpty!

    Thanks for the nice comment on my blog.

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  6. In the past month that I've had the opportunity to get to know you through your blog, I have fallen in love! So, please take heed. If I am ever in California, I am staying at your place! We can sit out on the porch with our bare feet up, drinking tea and eating lemon bars while dinner is simmering in the kitchen (yes, dessert comes first). We will admire your garden, watch the dogs frolic, and watch the fog roll in...

    A girl can dream...

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  7. lemon bars have to be my favourite treat. so sunny, so tart, so fresh!
    I think i will have to borrow this recipe from you! xox happy day dear friend!

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  8. I must add this book to my collection, thank you for introducing it!
    The lemon bars look fabulous. I have yet to acquire a cast iron skillet, you are pretty close to convincing me to get one. :)
    Love you,
    Dawn

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  9. Now I need to purchase an iron skillet. Too many good things to make. And these bars look scrumptiously springtime.

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  10. I LOVE lemon bars - the lemony the better, for me. It's a great idea to make them in a skillet. Happy lemon bar day to you!

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  11. Rain and fog? That's what you get for having a barbecue! Love your Grammy's beautiful quilt and the lemon bars look so yummy. Bye for now, Lesley

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  12. yummy! that cookbook sounds neat, i'll have to check that out :)

    hope all is well!

    xo

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  13. i am reminded that i need to pull out my cast iron skillet. yum

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  14. Looks absolutely yummy. Send some over. Thanks for the recipe.

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  15. Thank you Julia for sharing this recipe, I am going to make the lemon bars this weekend. I LOVE your blog. From Ann, in Victoria, Australia.

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  16. Gorgeous recipe! I am going to try them. I would wait til my own Meyer lemons were ripe, but that would take too long! :) )

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  17. Oh how we love lemon bars...I would of never thought to make them in a skillet. What a great idea! I will try these for sure. I love your little blue striped bowl...I have 3 old ones just like it. xoxoxoxo Happy day sweet friend.

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  18. wow, this is lemon bar with a twist! Thank you for sharing. I will have to make this soon!!

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  19. I am always on the hunt for lemon bar recipes, it is my favorite dessert. Alright those and Tiramisu:-)

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  20. ooh! lemon bars are my FAVORITE...i'm not exagerating here. really, they are. and i only like the kind with fresh lemon zest/juice. no extracts or bottled juice for me...straight from the lemon is the only way. i'll have to try these...they look delicious!

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  21. Oh, do I ever love lemon bars. I haven't made them in such a long time. Actually, I've almost quit baking altogether. The banana pudding I made at Christmas time was the first thing I've made in months. I know my boys would love it if I'd make some of my old favorites from time to time!

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  22. The lemon bars look yummy...I have never tried those before...Are you sure you weren't Martha Stewart in a former life? (without the insider trading scandal of course) lol... :)

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  23. YUM! I just had some lemon bars at a church function and was thinking, "Now THAT'S what I don't have: a good lemon bars recipe!"

    You solved THAT little predicament for me!

    I just now noticed all your Julia Child sidebars. Ah me! :) I am having SO much fun with her cookbook. The French Onion soup was divine. Do you use brandy like she calls for when you make it?

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  24. mmm... that's something i would really love to try! and your pictures are just great!
    have a sweet weekend my dear friend!
    justyna

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  25. It's been forever since I've had a lemon bar....I'll have to hunt down one during my lunch break. :)

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  26. Lemon bars are a favorite at our home. I love the cast iron idea, and they would looks so good served in a circle when gathering with a circle of friends:)

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  27. oh, hello Kary:).

    your lemon bars looks absolutely scrumptious! lemon bars are one of my very most favorite desserts, so i will be trying this recipe:). i am also loving the photos that you've been taking lately, both in your posts and in your sidebar. i hope that you and buddy have a nice weekend (and that the heat wave rolls back in for you;)).

    xoxo,
    Blair

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  28. Yummy !!! Great recipe :) All the ingredients go so well together ! Thanks for sharing :)

    A wonderful weekend, dear friend !
    xoxoxoxo

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  29. Those sound so good! I'm going to have to try that soon. Thanks for sharing!

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  30. i really love how you cook and "bake" in a skillet!

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  31. YUM, YUM, YUM is all I can say! I discovered your sweet little blog the other day and saw this recipe. Someone just gave us a big bag of organic Meyer lemons, so I "commissioned" my husband (the baker in the family) to make this for my mother's birthday, which we celebrated today. It was fabulous! I think we dug into it a little over an hour ago. One lone piece is all that lies waiting to be claimed! Scrumptious! Thank you!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by. I appreciate all your kind comments more than you can know.