This gluten free lemon tart is seriously one of my favorite gluten-free dessert recipes – and I don’t even have to eat gluten free!
When we found out about MarocBaba’s celiac diagnosis I was a little afraid. I had always relied on store-bought breads, treats and other baked goods to make up for my shortfalls in that department. Once I saw the price tag on a loaf of gluten-free bread I had sticker shock. I knew that it would not be economically possible for me to rely on purchasing these items.
When I started to look at baked goods the laundry list of ingredients REALLY intimidated me. Slowly, I began to accumulate the different flours, gums, and starches that I had seen listed.
I began to understand how they work, which ones absorbed more water, which worked better for coating things, and so on. I found a great bread recipe and mastered it. But to bake a gluten-free cake?
No, I just couldn’t imagine it.
La Tartine Gourmande: Recipes for an Inspired Life
As I flipped through for inspiration I found a Meyer Lemon Tart recipe and decided to add my own flare to it. It also was the first time I experimented with mixing my own flours for baking. It was a huge success!
Making a Gluten Free Lemon Tart
The biggest challenge to making a successful gluten-free tart is finding the right consistency for the crust. My husband hates the starchy texture a lot of gluten-free blends leave behind. So instead of relying on a ready-made mixture, I made my own flour blend for this tart.
Everything in this recipe is made from scratch though if you were short on time you could substitute the lemon cream for a jarred lemon curd. It is however very easy to make and worth the little extra effort to make your own.
Gluten-Free Lemon Tartlettes? Why not!
While I made this into one large tart you could very easily make this into smaller tartlets. They would be great for hosting a tea party or for any get-together.
Gluten-Free Strawberry, Mint and Lemon Tart
A delightful gluten-free dessert that's completely homemade!
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Tart Crust
- 1/2 c white rice flour
- 1/2 c sorghum flour
- 1/2 c almond flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 7 tbsp high quality unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
- 5 tbsp cold water (more if needed)
Lemon Cream
- 2/3 c lemon juice
- 2/3 c sugar
- 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- zest of 1 lemon
- 6 Tbsp unsalted, chilled butter
Strawberry Mint Sauce
- 6-7 large hulled strawberries
- 3-4 springs of mint
- 2 tsp sugar
Instructions
To Make the Tart Dough
This dough needs to be chilled before rolling out. I make it first and let it chill at least 30-60 minutes.
In a stand mixer, combine the flours, xanthan gum, and salt. Start the mixer and add the butter until it looks like pebbles.
Continue mixing on low and add the egg and stream the cold water. Mix until the dough comes together.
Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.
Prepare the Strawberry-Mint Sauce
Pulse the cleaned and hulled strawberries, mint, and sugar into a food processor and blend until liquid.
You can strain the sauce to remove some of the seeds.
Making the Lemon Cream Sauce
You will need full attention for this step. In a bowl beat the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest.
Pour into a pot and turn burner to medium. Add the butter and begin stirring. You must continue stirring until the butter melts and the cream firms up. It will seem like this step is taking a long time but the transition from a thin liquid to a thick consistency happens very suddenly so you must pay attention.
Once it thickens remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Assembling the Tart
Preheat an oven to 350F
To make this tart you can use a tart pan or a pie pan. Butter and flour whichever you are using before laying out the dough.
Remove the tart dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. Place a layer of plastic wrap on top of the dough and roll out. The dough should be slightly larger than the pan.
Lay dough on top of the pan and use your fingers to press the dough against the pan, removing any excess dough that is hanging off the edges. Poke the crust with a fork.
Slide the tart dough into the oven and pre-bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool partway.
Pour the lemon cream into the crust and spread the strawberry-mint sauce on top of the lemon.
Return to the oven and finish baking for 15 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool completely before serving. It is best when served cold.
Notes
Inspired by La Tartine Gourmande Meyer Lemon Tart
Cupcakes Nottingham
Wednesday 30th of May 2012
Really good idea, I shall be trying this one at the weekend.