I developed this recipe in memory of my mother-in-law, Oma Harriet, on the first anniversary of her passing away. August 30th was her birthday so it seems appropriate to post this recipe today. They came out surprisingly well! I used coconut flour for the crust and the delicate coconut flavor is a nice complement to the rich, sweet lemon curd.

Oma Harriet was a great collector of old recipe books so I searched them for lemon squares recipes. I discovered that it seems to be a relatively recent recipe probably first created in the 1950s or later. It also seems to be a uniquely American recipe. If anyone has any more info on the origins of this recipe I’d love to hear it!

Crust:

• 1 c coconut flour
• 1/2 t natural salt
• 2 T honey
• 1/2 c butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 c water (approximate amount)

Curd:

• 3/4 c lemon juice
• 2 lemon’s zest
• 6 eggs
• dash salt
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/2 c butter

Method:
For the crust, cream together the butter, yolks, honey and salt. Cut in the coconut flour and add water to moisten to make the dough stick together. Press the dough into a well greased 11″ x 7″ (or therabouts) rectangular baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 mins. The crust should get lightly browned. Chill in the freezer or just allow to cool before topping with the curd.

For the curd use a double boiler and whisk together the eggs, salt, honey, lemon juice and zest. Heat over the double boiler stirring constantly. This process can take a while, but be patient and you will be rewarded. As the mixture starts to thicken be sure to stirr constantly. Once it is thickened add the butter and continue to stirr for a few more minutes. Strain the mixture (especially if the eggs have gotten over-cooked and are starting to form lumps). Top the chilled crust with the lemon curd and chill in the freezer or fridge until set.