Lemon Bars

Transcribed from the beautifully hand-printed recipe that a colleague generously prepared for me after I inquired about this luscious treat she brought to work and shared with us. December, 1992. H/T “Linda Barr”.

2-1/2 c all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 c powdered sugar, sifted

3/4 c (1-1/2 sticks) butter, cut into large dice

1/2 t baking powder

4 eggs, beaten

2 c granulated sugar

1/2 t lemon zest, grated

1/3 c lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk together 2 cups of flour and the powdered sugar. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles meal. Spread the mixture in a 9x13x2 inch baking pan, and firm and flatten to form a crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned. Whisk the eggs, sugar, zest, and juice together in a bowl and then incorporate the 1/2 cup of flour and baking powder. Pour over the crust and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, until lightly browned and set. Let cool on a metal rack. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into bars. Yields about 2 dozen bars.

Lemonade by Ratio

One way to describe a recipe is to list, not amounts by measure, but rather, amounts by ratio to each other. This makes it easy to make a small or large batch. Lemonade depends on the balance of its ingredients and so is well suited to this approach. A 'part' may be a small volume such as an ounce or a cup or even a gallon! It's also possible to prepare lemonade not by volume measure but by weight.

1 part lemon juice
2 parts simple syrup
4 parts cold water
2 parts ice

Mix well in a glass, in a pitcher or in large serving container. For example, to make a single serving in a large glass:

2 oz lemon juice
4 oz simple syrup
8 oz cold water
4 oz ice

Gravimetric Lemonade

Developed May, 2014. This recipe uses a 11-fold dilution for a bright pucker and distinct lemon flavor. No need to dirty measuring cups and spoons if your kitchen is equipped with a fast digital platform scale. Simply weigh the ingredients as you add them. Use the gram setting to keep it simple. For example, to figure out what half of 1-3/4 ounce is, is tough, but half of 50 grams is easy.

40 g lemon juice
25 to 50 g sugar, depending on taste
400 g water

Weigh the water, lemon juice, and 25 grams of sugar into a suitable container set (tared) to zero and stir to dissolve. Taste for sweetness and add sugar as needed. Serve over ice in a tall glass. Serves 1 or 2.

Lemonade for One, Pronto

Quick path to a refreshing drink. Freshly-squeezed juice is best, but bottled juice is convenient. Keep simple syrup on hand in the refrigerator for use in summer drinks.

1 oz (30 ml) lemon juice (about half a large lemon)
2 oz (60 ml) simple syrup
8 oz (250 ml) cold tap water 
ice cubes

Fill a large glass half full with ice cubes. To increase the yield of juice, heat the lemon in the microwave oven for about 20 seconds. When cool, cut in half through the equator. Alternatively, roll the lemon back and forth vigorously on a firm surface. Squeeze the juice into the glass, add the syrup, water, and enough additional ice to fill the glass, and stir. Serves one. Easily doubles, or make another for yourself.

Quick Avgolemono Soup

Created April 1, 2007; revised December 28, 2010.

1-1/2 c cooked rice
3-1/2 c chicken stock
1 rib celery, diced
2 green onions, finely cross cut
1 T butter
3 eggs, at room temperature
juice of 1 lemon
1 t grated lemon zest
1 T minced parsley

Soften vegetables in butter in a deep pot over medium heat. To hasten cooking, microwave the diced celery for 60 seconds. Add stock and rice, and heat through. In a large bowl, beat eggs well and stir in lemon juice. Add hot broth to egg mixture in spoonfuls with stirring until quite hot. The egg mixture must be quite hot and dilute to prevent curdling. Stir hot egg mixture into soup. Add parsley and zest, and stir over medium heat until it thickens. Serves four.

Fresh Lemonade

[Recorded June 28, 2010]

1/2 t lemon zest
1 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 oz simple syrup
water as needed
10 ice cubes

Place zest and syrup (sugar to water, 1:1) in a 16 oz glass. Let mull for a minute while crushing with a teaspoon. Add lemon juice, ice, and sufficient water to top up the glass. Stir vigorously to chill. 
Serves one.