I can see clearly now...

What a soaker of a weekend!  Friday was soggy; not wet enough to keep me from ducking in and out of a few stores on a study-free shopping break with a friend, but just a little yucky.  Saturday was a deluge.  Unfortunately, I had no choice but to go to the grocery, but thankfully I had a sympathetic husband who swam with me, and helped me cart the bags into the apartment.  Sunday and Monday were more of the same; the rain didn't keep us away from church and classes but we were glad to stay inside the rest of the time.  I do enjoy the way wet days make you slow down, but I was ready to see the sun again today.

It was in the midst of the weekend sogginess that I decided to make a little bit of sunshine in the form of lemon triangles.  We are sharing these with several friends this week.  I am thankful for the precious time that we have to spend with them; a respite in the midst of the deluge of life!  I want to share the recipe with you, just in case you have a rainy day that needs a little sunshine-y brightness. 

I know that almost every food blog existent has a lemon bar/square recipe, and I am going to add mine to the pile.  I like my lemon triangles to really taste like lemon.  The lemon layer is lip-puckering tart on its own, but is mellowed by the powdered sugar on top and the barely sweet, crisp shortbread.  I was a little overzealous and pulled these out of the pan too early (resulting in the soft, gooey lemon layer); if you refrigerate them overnight in the pan, the triangles will be much prettier.  Either way, they taste, well, like a bright spring day!

Lemon Triangles

Crust:

1 3/4 cups flour

2/3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

Filling:

6 extra large eggs at room temperature

3 cups sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about seven lemons)

1 cup flour

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Lightly butter a 13 x 9 inch baking sheet and line with Parchment paper, allowing the paper to come up the sides of the pan.

Pulse the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in a food processor. Slice the butter into 1-inch pieces. Add the butter to the processor and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, and then pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. Sprinkle the mixture into a lined pan and press firmly with your fingers to form an even, 1/4 inch layer over the entire pan bottom. Refrigerate or 30 minutes, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Pour over the warm crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature (or refrigerate overnight in the pan).  Using the parchment to pull them out of the pan, transfer to a cutting board and peel the paper down. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 20 squares. Then cut each square diagonally to form 40 triangles.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

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