My brother Robert sends me a big box of, just picked, fat and juicy Meyer lemons from his trees late every fall.   This year he sent me a second box this past weekend; 24 big fat lemons! Homegrown, juicy: they are a cooks dream.  Their flavor is sweet; not that usual tart of lemons, with a gorgeous floral scent.  They are perfect in cookies like the lemon squares every one loves, which I make gf now a days. I also make lemon meringue pie, lemon marmalade, lemonade, a classic French lemon tart and this delicate buttermilk tart with a baked filling which I am sharing with you today. Yes, another in my year of pies.  Did I mention that tarts are just shallow pies with no lids? Yeap. They count as pies….in my world anyway!

This tart is very simple to construct; far and away the easiest lemon item I bake. I use a shortbread cookie style gf press and pre bake it and the filling is just whisked together and poured into the partially baked crust.  So easy to make and it goes great with a big spoonful of fresh real whipped cream.  Although I actually prefer a dollop of plain organic low fat yogurt, just about as tasty and hugely more healthy. Sometimes I lay slices of Meyer lemon down the length of it when I use my special rectangular tart pan.  Sensational looking and as yummy as it looks.  A round tart pan works great too. I have used a regular gf pie crust which is a tasty alternative to the cookie crust.

Simple, tasty,  and impressive looking – you could make it with regular lemons but I suspect it would need more sugar to make it sweet enough as Meyer lemons are far sweeter than the grocery store lemons. Maybe 2/3 cup of sugar instead of a half cup. Don’t be scared off by the buttermilk.  You will never know it is even in the filling; totally blends in.

If you want to use all purpose flour in your crust and in the filling – go right ahead.  I have been making this tart long before I went gluten free.

Meyer Lemon Buttermilk Tart

Cookie Tart Crust

1 cup brown rice flour mixture (recipe below)

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp. xanthan gum

5 tbsp. cold butter cut up into 6 or 7 chunks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-2 tsp. water

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients in your stand mixer, add the butter, blend with the paddle blade until the butter is small pebbles.  Add the vanilla and water.  Press into a tart pan with a removable bottom, be sure to first spray the pan with cooking spray.  Par-bake 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Cool 10-20 minutes before filling and baking.

Filling

¾ cup low fat buttermilk: let it warm up for 15 minutes before mixing

½ cup granulated sugar

2 lg eggs, warm them to room temperature

6 tbsp. Meyer lemon juice

2 tbsp flour (I use sweet rice, white rice flour or a blend)

1-2 tbsp finely grated Meyer lemon peel

Mix all filling ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Pour into crust and bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 min; until just barely set.  Cool completely and refrigerate until chilled.  Can decorate tart with thin slices of Meyer lemon leaves. Serve slices topped with a dollop of this lightly sweetened cream.  Or a spoonful of organic low fat yogurt; very healthy but surprisingly satisfying.  Pairs well with the tangy sweet of the tart.

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Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp powdered sugar

Beat cream, add powdered sugar.  Serve a dollop with each slice of tart. Or top with a healthy spoonful of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt, 2 percent or whole milk yogurt.

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Brown Rice Flour Mix
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

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Filling recipe modified slightly from one found on food network.com, flour mix and crust from Annalise Roberts’ great cookbook: Gluten – Free Baking Classics.

Reposted from mt original post in December 2014.