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Despite its name, buckwheat is a good friend to the gluten-free cook, as it’s made from a fruit, not wheat – confusing, eh? Its earthy, nutty flavour and darker colour makes it the perfect backdrop to the rich tomatoes, tangy goat’s cheese and sweet caramelised shallots. Pretty dreamy.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the buckwheat pastry
80g sweet rice flour/glutinous rice flour
80g buckwheat flour
25g cornflour
½ tsp xanthan gum
¼ tsp sea salt
80g unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
4 tbsp ice-cold water
For the filling
120g shallots, chopped
1 tbsp butter
pinch of granulated or coconut sugar
several sprigs of thyme, chopped
120g goat’s cheese, crumbled
4 large beefsteak tomatoes, thinly sliced, horizontally
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
20g basil, leaves picked and chopped
15g tarragon, leaves picked and chopped
½ tbsp runny honey
Method
To make the pastry, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the iced water slowly and mix by hand, until the mixture comes together to form a smooth ball. Roll out the dough to fit a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Lift the dough using a rolling pin and gently place into the tin. Press firmly into the tin and trim off any excess pastry. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes before baking.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
To make the filling, caramelise the shallots in a saucepan with the butter and pinch of sugar over a medium-high heat for 8 minutes and set aside to cool slightly.
Remove the tart case from the fridge. Spread the caramelised shallots and thyme on the bottom of the case and sprinkle with some of the goat’s cheese.
Place a layer of tomatoes on top and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and some basil and tarragon. Repeat the layers to fill the tart, finishing with a layer of goat’s cheese and a drizzle of honey on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and the pastry is cooked and beginning to pull away from the sides of the tin. Cool before serving.
Extracted from Gluten Free, Naturally by Caroline Byron (Kyle Books, approx €22). Photography by Clare Winfield.