When it comes to classic desserts, lemon meringue tart is always on top of the list. If you’re looking for a gluten free lemon tart, you’re in for a treat! And guess what? It’s dairy-free, too.
This gluten free lemon meringue tart is not just a dessert for those with dietary restrictions; it’s also a treat for everyone.
What the gluten free lemon tart is made of
The filling is a tangy and smooth lemon curd made with fresh lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and some lemon zest to enhance the citrusy flavor while the Italian meringue topping is artistically piped and lightly browned in the oven or with a kitchen torch.
This dairy and gluten free mini lemon tart is an excellent example of how a classic recipe can be adapted without compromising taste or texture.
Three essential components of gluten free lemon tart
- Tart shell – an excellent gluten free flour blend is the key to a good shortcrust dough. Flour blend often consists of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour, with added xanthan gum, psyllium, or guar gum as a substitute for gluten.
- Lemon curd filling – the heart of a lemon tart is its luscious lemon filling. The lemon curd recipe calls for fresh lemon juice, eggs, granulated sugar, dairy-free butter, and cornstarch to maintain that irresistible tartness without gluten and dairy.
- Meringue – although French meringue is easier to make, Italian meringue is better because of the cooked sugar that gives it a lighter and shinier texture.
Key ingredients and substitutes
- Bread Mix GF Flour – the tart shell uses Schar Gluten Free Bread flour, one of the best flour blend for making shortcrust dough.
- Vegan Butter – Violife Vegan Block or Miyokos** vegan butter are the best options for making the tart shell and lemon curd filling.
- Cornstarch – added as a thickener for gluten free lemon curd.
Substitution Table
| Original Ingredients | Substitute With |
|---|---|
| Schar GF Bread Flour | Caputo GF Flour* or King Arthur GF Bread Flour* |
| Cornstarch | Cassava starch |
| Violife Vegan Butter | Miyokos vegan butter** |
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1 – Making the Shortcrust Dough
Follow the Gluten Free French Shortcrust Pastry recipe to make the shortcrust dough. Make the dough in advance to keep it very cold before rolling out.
STEP 2 – Tart Shell Preparations
- Flatten the cold dough to about 2mm thick between two baking sheets with a rolling pin.
- Cut the dough using a round cookie cutter, then place them on top of upside down mini muffin pan.
- Press the cut dough on top of upside down mini tart pan and freeze for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Bake the tart shells straight from the freezer for 15 minutes until golden brown.
STEP 3 – Making the Lemon Tart Filling
- Mix lemon juice, zest, cornstarch, eggs, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cook on a double boiler while whisking constantly until thick. Remove from heat.
- Mix the cold butter well using a hand blender or whisk until smooth.
- Fill the tart shells with lemon curd and refrigerate to set.
STEP 4 – Italian Meringue
- In a small saucepan, boil water and sugar, then partially whip the egg whites using a hand or stand mixer.
- When the sugar syrup reaches 120ºC (248°F), remove from heat and pour into the whipping egg whites in a slow, steady stream.
- Adjust the mixer speed to high and continue beating until the meringue is stiff, shiny, and cooled down. Use immediately.
- Pipe the meringue on top of the filled tart shell. Burn the meringue using a kitchen torch. Skip this step if you don’t have a kitchen torch.
Mini Gluten Free Lemon Tart
The tangy and smooth lemon curd filling is made with fresh lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and some lemon zest, while the sweet Italian meringue topping is light and fluffy.Note: Use the unit converter if needed. This recipe is measured by weight (metric) for accuracy.
Equipment
- Digital scale
- Mini muffin pan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- cookie cutter round (3-3.5 inches diameter, 8-9 cm)
- Kitchen torch optional
Ingredients
Gluten Free Sweet Pastry Dough
- 1 recipe Gluten Free Pate Sucree
Lemon Curd
- 300 g lemon juice
- 200 g sugar
- 40 g cornstarch
- 3 large whole eggs
- 4 large egg yolks (save the whites for meringue)
- lemon zest (from 3 lemons)
- 60 g Violife vegan butter
Italian Meringue
- 120 g egg whites (4 egg whites)
- 220 g sugar
- 50 ml water
Instructions
Gluten Free Sweet Pastry Dough
- Follow the recipe instruction of gluten free sweet shortcrust recipe.
- Flatten the cold dough to about 2mm thick between two baking sheets with a rolling pin.
- Cut the dough using a round cookie cutter, then place them on top of upside down mini muffin pan.
- Place and press the cut dough on top upside down mini tart pan and set them in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Lemon Curd
- Mix lemon juice, zest, cornstarch, eggs, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cook on a double boiler while whisking constantly until thick. Remove from heat.
- Mix the cold vegan butter well using a hand blender or whisk until smooth.
- Fill the tart shells with lemon curd and refrigerate to set.
Italian Meringue
- In a small saucepan, boil water and sugar, then partially whip the egg whites using a hand or stand mixer.
- When the sugar syrup reaches 120ºC (248°F), remove from heat and pour into the whipping egg whites in a slow, steady stream.
- Adjust the mixer speed to high and continue beating until the meringue is stiff, shiny, and cooled down. Use immediately.
- Pipe the meringue on top of the filled tart shell. Burn the meringue using a kitchen torch. Skip this step if you don’t have a kitchen torch.
Notes
- Storing the tart: fill the tart shell with lemon cream, pipe the meringue, and then freeze. A good Italian meringue should stay stiff and frozen for many days in the freezer.
- The recipe is long but take your time. Watch the video first and you will finish assembling the cake quickly. It’s easier to follow the video than just reading the whole recipe.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
