Lemons are my all-time favorite staple. There’s not a moment I don’t have a large supply of lemons on hand, for dressings to lemon water and every meal in between. Meyer lemons are more sweet & aromatic than the average lemon, making this tart dessert even more charming.

I love lemon bars & tarts as much as the next person, but I loved the idea of doing this with buckwheat flour for a little rustic touch. The nutty flavor perfectly compliments the tart (& perfectly sweet) lemon curd. If you can keep this addicting tart around, it's a real crowd pleaser.

Meyer Lemon Tart with Buckwheat Crust (gluten-free) Serves 6

Meyer lemon curd (from david lebovitz) :

1/2 cup meyer lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, chilled & cubed
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

Before juicing the lemons, zest 2 of them into a medium sized mixing bowl. Set a fine mesh sieve over top & set aside. In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs & yolks.

In a saucepan, combine sugar, butter and lemon juice. Warm over low heat, stirring often, until butter has melted. Then, slowly whisk saucepan mixture into the whisked eggs, pouring in a thin, gradual stream.

Once combined well, add mixture back to the saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk often, making sure to eliminate any lumps, until mixture begins to thicken and coat the back of a spoon., about 2-3 minutes (watch carefully!).

Then, immediately pour through the sieve, pushing all the curd through (use your spatula to scape the curd off the bottom of the bowl). Whisk for about 30 seconds to one minute to eliminate any bumps & cool the mixture down. Set aside to cool.

Buckwheat crust:

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour*
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (or guar gum)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled and cubed
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Add first six ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add chilled butter and pulse until flour becomes gritty, about 30 seconds. Then, add one tablespoon of ice water at a time until dough begins to come away from the edge and take shape. Shape into a 6 inch disk, dust with more tapioca flour and wrap in saran wrap. Chill for 30-45 minutes.

Once dough has been chilled, let it rest for 5 minutes at room temperature. Dust again with tapioca flour, and sandwich between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll out your dough evenly until about 3 inches larger than your tart pan (I used a 9 1/2 inch tart pan).

Remove top sheet of parchment paper, set down your tart pan (face down) in the middle of the dough, and very carefully flip - making sure your hands are on either side of the tart dish for support. Very carefully remove the last sheet of parchment, trying to eliminate any tearing (which will happen, don’t worry).

Once you remove the parchment, remove any excess dough hanging over the edge & gently press the dough into the tart dish. If you had any tears in the dough, just pinch it together or add any extra dough to do some tart dough plastic surgery. Continue doing this until the tart dough is even along all edges and smooth. Chill in the fridge for another 25 minutes. While you chill, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Once dough has chilled in your tart pan, poke a few holes in the crust with a fork, and parbake - I use a piece of parchment and dried beans/lentils as a weight. Bake for 25 minutes, or until tart begins to slightly come away from edges. Then, pour in the lemon curd and bake for another 8 minutes. Let the tart come to room temperature, then chill for 30 minutes up to 24 hours (if you want to make ahead).

Homemade Whipped Cream:

8 oz. heavy whipping cream, cold
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

In a stand mixer, add heavy cream. Whip on high speed, adding in vanilla & confectioners sugar gradually. Beat until the mixture thickens and has a soft peak. Serve over lemon tart with freshly grated lemon zest.

*Note: Tapioca and arrowroot flours can also be referred to as arrowroot/tapioca “starch”.