Quote de jour
"When life hands you lemons, bake lemon sweets "
                                                                                               ~LMW


The first time I tasted a Meyer lemon my mouth puckered with delight. This hybrid of lemon and mandarin orange is sweeter, and yet all lemony tartness. It makes any lemon recipe taste better, including my version of lemon squares. These are much thinner than a normal square or bar, really more of a cookie, with about half the calories. The only problem is, I bet you can't have just one...

To be more 'green', I bake these in a toaster oven to save energy. I use a 9 X 13 shallow pan but you don't have one, use half a cookie sheet. These are easy-peasy to make and so good. You can subsitute regular lemons if you can't find Meyer lemons. Sometimes, I do a half lemon, half lime. Experiment, have fun! It's not rocket science.

Layla's  Meyer Lemon Squares
Pre-heat oven to 325.
In a medium-sized bowl mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar with 1cup flour. Add 1 stick ( 4oz.) of unsalted butter. Work the butter into dry ingredients with your fingers until pebbly. You can use a pastry cutter or a food processor but this is more fun and the end result  is more flaky. Don't handle the dough too much or it will be tough. Gently pat the dough evenly into an ungreased pan. It will be about 1/4 " thick. Bake for about 20 minutes or very light golden. Remove from oven when done.
While the shortbread is baking make the lemon curd topping.

Grate the rind of 2 Meyer lemons, ideally organic. Citrus fruits are heavily sprayed with pesticides. Squeeze the juice. A citrus reamer is a handy tool. Two lemons produce at least 2 oz.of juice.
In a medium-sized heavy saucepan add 1/2 cup of egg yolks. (Anywhere from 4 to 6 eggs depending on their size.) Save the egg whites to make something else like a white egg omelet. I like a big wooden spoon for stirring. Over medium low heat, add 3/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice, the rinds and a pinch of salt. Cook until mixture thickens (About 5-7 minutes).Keep stirring constantly!
Pour and spread thinly over the baked shortbread 'cookie', pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes or so to firm up the lemon curd. Remove and cool completely before cutting into small squares. Dust with icing sugar if you like. Store in an air tight container. These will keep for a few days refrigerated and a few months frozen.  I immediately freeze half or I'll eat them all. Enjoy !