the lovely lemon bar

Holy excessive eggs, Batman.  Six of them!  But this square is totally worth it.  It is face scrunchingly tart, but with the mild undertone of a sweet butter crust.  So go buy yourself a bagful of lemons and a carton of eggs and treat yourself.  That Barefoot Contessa knows what she’s talking about – these bars are going into regular rotation.

Lemon Bars
-from the Barefoot Contessa

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar in a mixer.  Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares and sprinkle icing sugar on top.