meyer lemon bars with pine nut cornmeal crust (via The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook)

Karen and I have a habit of doing things on vacations that are spur of the moment, completely unplanned, and then falling into something wonderful. Or at least memorable. Being attacked by monkeys at the Batu Caves outside Kuala Lumpur comes to mind. So does finding Grom gelato in Florence. 

So does our drive down Highway 1 in California from San Francisco. Karen suggested we go (that is, made me go) to the Winchester Mystery house in San Jose (so much crazy), and once that was over, we decided to drive to Carmel-by-the-Sea. No clue how to get there. No GPS at the time. No restaurant picked out. Let’s just drive. 

And while Carmel was pretty and the beach was misty and moody and beautiful, it was the drive that was the real reward. Neither of us had spent much time on the West Coast, and we had no idea how overwhelming the Pacific Ocean is, as the highway hugs the cliffs. Giant waves crashing against the waves below you. Rainbows. So difficult to keep my eyes on the road. Luckily, there were many places to stop along the drive, stand out on the cliffs, the energy of the water rolling toward you, and feel small and impossibly large at the same time. 

Ridiculous beauty.

But.  A very sad “but.” Had we driven just a bit further south of Carmel, we would have found Big Sur Bakery which, from their cookbook and website, appears just as magical as the drive along Highway 1. 

Their cookbook is organized by season, and their approach to cooking and their restaurant inspires connection to the land and people around you, creating family wherever you go. 

We love their recipes, especially their Meyer lemon bars with pine nut corn meal crust.  The bars are big and rich, more substantial than most lemon bars, with a tender crunch in the crust from pine nuts. Meyer lemons are perfect for this, but use regular lemons if that’s what you have on hand. You’ll be happy.

Next time, we’ll drive past Carmel and head right for Big Sur Bakery. Seems like it’s full of all kinds of wonderful.

recipe | meyer lemon bars with pine nut cornmeal crust (via The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook)


For the dough

• 1 c unsalted butter
• ½ c pine nuts
• 2¾ c all purpose flour
• 1/3 c plus 2 T sugar
• ½ c yellow cornmeal
• 1 t kosher salt
• Grated zest of 2 Meyer lemons
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 T heavy cream

For the Meyer lemon filling

• 3¼ c sugar
• ½ c all purpose flour
• Grated zest of 3 Meyer lemons
• 1 c Meyer lemon juice
• ½ c heavy cream
• 8 whole eggs
• 5 egg yolks

For the topping

• Powdered sugar

Make the dough
Cut the butter into cubes. Spread them out on a plate and throw them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the rack in the middle position.

Put the pine nuts on a cookie sheet and toast them in the oven for about 7 minutes. You want light brown, not medium. Light. Let them cool completely.
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, cornmeal, pine nuts, salt and lemon zest until you get small pieces of pine nuts. Add the butter from the freezer. Pulse until you get a coarse meal. Dump the contents into a large mixing bowl.

Make a well in the center. Leave it sit there for a couple of minutes, waiting in anticipation. Pine nuts can be demanding, and they need to learn patience. Learn ‘em good.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks and cream together. Pour them into the well you made in the pine nut flour. Knead the mixture with your hands until fully combined. You’re looking for smooth dough that looks uniform. Flatten the disk and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. I know this is lengthy. I have no idea if you could do it for less time. Probably, but why would you?

After a good, long wait, roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll it into a 15x17 inch rectangle that’s ¼ inch thick. Drape the dough inside a 9x13 baking dish, pushing the dough into the corners and up the side. You’re making a nest of pine nut crust. You’re welcome. Trim off the excess dough off the top and refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven. 350 F.

Bake the crust for about 20 minutes. Golden brown. Cool it completely. 


Make the filling

Heat the oven to 325 F.

In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, flour, zest, juice, heavy cream, eggs, and egg yolks. Crank it up to high. Beat until frothy, 2-3 minutes. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake until filling is set. Check it at 25-30 minutes. But ours went for almost an hour. Don’t panic. You want it set, but not browned. So watch it. Take personal responsibility for these. So many eggs. Let’s not let them brown. 

Cool completely. For real.

Cut the bars into whatever size makes you happy. A tip from the Big Sur Bakery cookbook - wipe the blade clean with a wet towel between cuts. No goopiness. Transfer the bars to plates and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.