When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Bars

A few days ago, I walked on hallowed ground.

At least, I always feel that way when I share in the poignant goodbyes at the graveside with a grieving family.

Mimi had been my childhood’s neighbor-next-door, the lovely lady whose voice I can still hear calling my mom’s name as she opened the squeaky screen door to our kitchen.

“Jean, Oh Jean!”

My mom and Mimi shared a cup of coffee each morning after the kids went off to school, accompanied by a basket of baked goods for which Mimi enjoyed rave reviews.

I mean, who does that anymore?

And what did they talk about?

My mom, fourteen years older, owned midwestern sensibilities, Scandinavian roots and a Pentecostal upbringing. Beautiful, dark-haired Mimi, a Sephardic Jew, always seemed exotic and worldly in the most intriguing of ways. They were a study in contrasts.

Yet, looking back as an adult, I remembered the night that I heard Mimi crying outside of my bedroom window. In the murky wee hours, my dad was the neighbor who walked through their kitchen door and into their anguish when six-month-old baby Ronald died. I’m sure my parents were transported that night to the memory of their own six month-old daughter who had only lived the same short number of months.

Grief can cement us and make us more humanly connected, despite our differences.

I told this sweet family that Mimi had single-handedly ruined my evaluation metric for good neighbors. Cheerfulness, warmth and the brilliant smile she flashed easily and often, were her hallmarks. The bar had been set impossible high.

And when her son-in-law started his eulogy with a nod to Mimi’s love of baking and life philosophy all rolled into one, I laughed.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemon bars.”

These are for you, Mimi.

Lemon Bars

This is Ina Garten’s recipe. I never met one of hers that I didn’t like.

For the Crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

6 extra-large eggs, room temp

3 cups granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest (4-6 lemons)

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup flour

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You will use a 13 x 9-inch baking sheet or pan.

For the crust, cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light in color in the bowl of an electric

mixer. Combine the flour and salt and with the mixture 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 into the baking dish, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill 30 minutes.

Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool, leaving the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, 3 cups sugar, lemon zest & juice, and flour. Pour over

the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar using a sieve or sifter.