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Recipe: Lemon-Lime Brulee Bars

Lemon bars and Mother’s Day seem to go together – though, to be honest, I’m not sure why.  I’m not even sure my Mom was a fan, though she loved most tart tastes.

I realized recently that this year it’s been twenty years since I celebrated Mother’s day with my Mom. I can’t really wrap my mind around that span of time – even though it is the timeline of my own narrative. It’s incredible.

I’ve finally come to that age where more and more of my friends are starting to lose their parents –and I feel so keenly for them. It does get better, you will go on and there is still joy in your life.  But a door shuts in time. You are still you, but a different you. And you can’t go back. Ever.

My high school (actually my 4^th grade – 12^th grade school; Episcopalian girl’s schools don’t really fit into a neat category) staged a mother-daughter tea every spring and the lemon bars were
always a treat – something lovely the kitchen made only for special occasions. Maybe that’s where my mind’s link between moms and lemon bars was forged.

The truth is though, as I’ve gotten older – the less I’ve liked traditional lemon bars. I think it’s the cloyingness of the powdered sugar. I think too, that might have been the deal breaker for my Mother as well. Why ruin the wonderful tart taste of lemon that way?

My alternative bar is still sweet – and still uses powdered sugar, but in the crust, rather than on top. It’s a tart taste, with a nice crunch on top from the caramelized sugar.

When you first lose a parent, the Hallmark holidays can be hard. But I’ve found as the years go on, they become a great time to remember and to celebrate the fact that the events of our lives, good and bad, make us who we are. So I created these bars for my Mom, to once again say thank you for all she was, and all she gave to me.

I love you, Mom.