I have a dwarf Meyer Lemon tree that usually produces a huge crop of lemon in early December. In case you didn’t know, the Meyer Lemon comes from China and is a cross between a lemon and either a mandarin or a regular orange. It kind of looks more like an orange than a lemon growing on the tree.

(A short aside. I can’t think of Meyer lemons without thinking about Meyer Lansky, known as the Mob’s Accountant. Let’s just say, he was a major organized crime figure and good friends with Bugsy Siegel and Lucky Luciano. In “The Godfather,” the character Hyman Roth is modeled after Lansky. He was 5’ tall.)

Back to Meyer lemons…friends and family know that I give lemons every year as gifts. Not so this year. The growing season came and went. Now that it is late February, I have a few lemons and tons of blossoms and baby lemons.

With the potential of lemons in the next month or two, I am thinking about a favorite lemon bar recipe that I want to share. Once again, the recipe isn’t mine. But if you like tart fresh tasting lemon desserts, you will probably like this.

This is from King Arthur flour. In honor of Meyer Lansky, I call these Meyer’s Mob Lemon Bars.

CRUST

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

• 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

TOPPING

• 4 large eggs

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup lemon juice

• confectioners' sugar, optional; for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. To make the crust: Whisk together the flour, salt, and confectioners' sugar. Work in the butter until it's evenly distributed; the mixture will be crumbly. Press the crust firmly into an ungreased 9" square pan.

3. Bake the crust for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it's golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

4. While the crust is baking, make the topping: Combine the whole eggs, egg yolk, and sugars and whisk until smooth. Add the flour and salt, then the lemon juice, and whisk until thoroughly combined.

5. Let the filling sit for 15 minutes or so, until the bubbles (mostly) disappear.

6. While the baked crust is still hot, pour the topping over it. Return the bars to the oven and bake until they appear set and relatively dry on top, about 25 to 30 minutes.

7. Remove the bars from the oven,and cool them on a rack. Just before serving, sprinkle the top of the bars with confectioners' sugar.

8. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

#Meyerlemons #MeyerLansky #lemonbars #TheGodfather #BugsySiegel #LuckyLuciano