I so love having fresh lemons in the house. They are not only pretty but they also smell good. I made my first lemon meringue pie the other day. I used the standard Betty Crocker recipe and it turned out pretty good for a start. I tried lemon curd bars too for a cookie exchange at Christmas. They were delicious. I recommend making the curd the day before as it is a lot of work to make the curd and bars the same day. See recipes below
Lemon Curd (you can also used a good store bought curd such as Dickinson's Lemon Curd)
1cup sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs finely shredded lemon peel
6 tbs lemon juice
6 tbs water
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, cut up
In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in lemon peel, lemon juice, and the water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir half of the lemon mixture into the egg yolks. Return egg mixture to the saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook and sir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until it melts. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour. Makes 2 cups.
To store: Place the prepared curd in an airtight container: cover. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Lemon Curd Bars -Prep 30 mins Bake: 23 mins at 375
1 cup butter, softened
1cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 ts baking powder
1 10-12 ounce jar lemon curd
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Grease foil; set pan aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until combined. Beat in flour and baking powder until combined (mixture will be crumbly). Remove 2/3 cup of the crumb mixture; set aside. Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
3. Bake crust in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until the top is golden. Remove from oven. Spread lemon curd over hot crust to within 1/2 inch of the edges. In a medium bowl, stir together the reserved crumb mixture,coconut and almonds. Sprinkle mixture over lemon curd.
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes more or until edges are golden and topping is lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using the edges of the foil, lift uncut bars out of pan. Cut into bars Makes 32 bars.
To store: Place bars in a single layer in an airtight container; core. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
These recipes are borrowed from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies Magazine
December 2010