For those who may be a little scared to try gluten-free pastries, these little tarts are the perfect place to start. "Whenever I make pastries, I’ll often blend unrefined cane sugar in an upright blender to achieve a finer texture—something closer to powdered sugar than super-fine cane sugar," blogger Emma Galloway says. "This helps to evenly distribute it throughout the dough, and you are left with a much nicer texture and look in the end product." Slideshow: More Pie & Tart Recipes
How to Make It
Place the flours, cornstarch and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs (don’t overprocess at this stage). Add egg and pulse until just combined.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly rice-floured surface and knead a couple of times until it comes together in one smooth ball. Flatten to a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Combine strawberries, lemon zest, thyme and maple syrup in a bowl.
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a large baking tray or line with parchment paper.
Divide the pastry into 8 equal portions, rolling each into a ball. Lightly dust a sheet of parchment paper with fine white rice flour and roll out one piece of pastry into a circle, about 3 millimeters thick. Carefully transfer to the tray. Spread approximately 1 tablespoon of almond meal in the center of the pastry, leaving a 2-centimeter border around the edge.
Arrange approximately 1/4 cup strawberry filling in the center of the disc. Pull up the sides of the pastry, enclosing the fruit filling. Repeat with the remaining pieces of pastry and filling.
Brush the tops of the pastry with a little milk and freeze the tray for 10 minutes to firm up before baking for 30 to 35 minutes, or until lovely and golden. Remove from the oven and serve either hot or at room temperature. These are best eaten within about an hour of baking, before the pastry softens too much.
