Daylily Days!

Squish a lime into an ice-cold bottle of Corona beer.

Cut fresh flowers for a vase in the guest room.

What’s for dessert?

My daughter was home for a few days and we had company coming. She enjoys baking and we all enjoy preparing the house for company. I showed her my dog-eared pages in the new magazine Sift I bought back in early spring. We couldn’t decide what to make! She chose Lemon Meringue Bars. A great choice—refreshing and light, colored yellow and white.

There’s a quote from Julia Child in the magazine: A party without cake is just a meeting.

And dinner without dessert is just no fun.

********

LEMON MERINGUE BARS:   (From the premier issue of Sift, a King Arthur Flour publication.)

CRUST:

1 1/2 c. King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. baking powder

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 c. sugar

3 large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)

FILLING:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Grated zest from 2 lemons

1/2 c. fresh-squeezed lemon juice (We needed 4-5 lemons)

TOPPING:

3 large egg whites

1/2 t. fresh lemon juice

1/2 c. sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9″x13″ pan; line with parchment paper—the edges going up the sides.

For the crust:  Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Cream the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl. Mix half of the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture, then add the egg yolks. Blend gently, then add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until the dough comes together. Pat dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven to let cool.

For the filling:  Blend condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice until the mixture thickens slightly. Spread over the cooled crust and set aside.

For the meringue topping: In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until foamy. As the mixer is running, sprinkle in the sugar and beat until thick enough to hold a medium peak. Spread the meringue over the filling—pulling up little peaks. Return the dessert to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for half an hour.

Use the parchment lining to gently pull the dessert straight up and out of the pan and onto a cutting surface. Cut into squares.

One of my friends delivered fresh-picked berries from her gardens

on the same afternoon my daughter was baking. My daughter arranged them with

the lemon squares on a simple white plate.

********