In Summer You Eat LEMON SQUARES

You heard me.  It's summer.  And while chocolate is good year round, summer is specifically the season of fruit desserts.  To kick this off, I made you some lemon squares.

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, and it is pretty delicious, although I found the directions a little unclear at times.  So I'm re-writing them a little, all for you, after this triptych of lemons.

Ooh, art.

Crust

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 c. flour
1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Custard:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 c. flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Grease a 9"x13"x2" casserole dish (you know like the ones you make brownies in?) and set aside.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed (my dough at this point was a little flaky; that’s okay, just smoosh it later). Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the greased casserole dish, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides.

Chill for about half an hour.  While the crust is chillin’, heat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack (leave the oven on).

For the lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.  Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Look, a reamer!

My final word of caution: my oven doesn't cook evenly.  The back gets much hotter than the front.  This means that some of the bars are more solid than others.  If you have a similar problem with your oven, I recommend rotating the baking dish halfway through.

Enjoy your lemon-ing, friends!