born and raised: When Life Gives You Lemons... Part II

We have a counter full of lemons. Our neighbors give us lemons, my mom gives us lemons, and now our little lemon tree has flower buds on it. Our friends down at Blue Label restaurant (can't wait to try their fixed menu for restaurant week) recently hosted a Meyer Lemon cook off, and Nick and I had the day off, so we used the opportunity to make some wild things we have never made before (lemon ravioli, lemon coriander vodka, lemon steak noodle salad, lemon candy...) and still we have a ton of lemons, not to mention very full bellies.
Experimenting is really important, as well as really fun, unfortunately it's not always palatable (my raviolis were too bitter, and my vodka was not as lemon-y as I would have liked). After experimenting for days, I just want something easy, classic, and promised to be delicious.

Lemon Bars!

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet.
For the crust, cream 1/2 lbs. butter and 1/2 cup sugar.
Add 2 cups flour and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt and mix until just combined

Gather the dough into a ball. Flatten the dough (with floured hands) and press it into the greased baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Stick it into the refrigerator to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
Pre-bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Take the crust out of the oven to let it cool off and leave the oven on.

For the lemon, whisk together the 4 eggs at room temperature, 1 2/3 cups sugar, 1+ tablespoon lemon zest (3 or 4 lemons), 2/3 cup lemon juice, and 2/3 cup flour. Once smooth pour the lemon mix into the crust and bake for 25 minutes, just beyond the when the filling sets. Let cool to room temperature and dust with powdered sugar.