​makes one 10” x 2” tart
 
¾ cup (100 g) (3.5 oz.) dried tart cherries
¼ cup hot water for plumping the dried cherries
1½ cups all-purpose flour (210 g.)
½ cup cornmeal (75 g.)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (230 g.)
1½ tablespoons freshly grated Meyer lemon zest
1/2 cup (113 g.) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
½ cup plain yogurt (113 g.)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
 
Butter and flour one 10” x 2” fluted tart pan with removable bottom.
 
Place the cherries in a medium bowl and cover with ¼ cup hot water. Let soak and plump for 10 minutes; drain thoroughly.
 
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, use your fingertips to rub the lemon zest into the sugar.
 
In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, gradually adding the sugar/zest/vanilla, beating on medium until light in color, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.  
 
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the yogurt mixture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber scraper to fold in the cherries, being careful not to overmix the batter. 
 
Transfer the batter to the tart pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Place the tart pan on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the tart on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven for 45-50 minutes, just until the tart tests clean when a skewer is inserted in the center.  Let the tart cool completely. Carefully remove the outer ring from the tart and drizzle with the Meyer lemon curd. Garnish with additional lemon slices, if desired.
 
For the Meyer lemon curd- makes 1 cup
½ cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces
 
In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until smooth. Cook over low heat, for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly with a rubber scraper, until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter pieces, until thoroughly incorporated. Strain the curd through a fine mesh strainer into a glass bowl. Allow to cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate if not using right away. 

makes one 9” pie
For the crust-
​1¾ graham cracker crumbs
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons melted butter
 
In a medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together with a fork then add melted butter. Toss to blend until well combined. Reserve one tablespoon of the crumbs to sprinkle over the meringue topping. Transfer the remaining mixture to a 9” Pyrex pie plate, pressing the crumbs across the bottom and up the sides. Smooth the crumbs using a small measuring cup so that they are evenly distributed. Refrigerate the crust for at least 15 minutes before baking.  Bake in a preheated 325 F degree oven for 8-10 minutes, just until golden. Set aside to cool completely while you prepare the filling.
 
For the filling-
 
6 large egg yolks (Note: you will only use 4 of the whites for the meringue)
¾ cup granulated sugar
6½ tablespoons cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks; set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, bubbles, and comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly pour a few tablespoons of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, to temper them. Add the rest of the milk mixture to the yolks. Return the yolk/milk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Strain the filling through a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. (The filling may be refrigerated overnight if not using right away, but I like to time things so I’m placing a freshly made meringue on a warm filling.) Fill the cooled pie crust with the filling and prepare the meringue.
 
For the meringue-
 
4 egg whites
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
 
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the egg whites, granulated sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and salt. Place the bowl over a just simmering pot of water, making sure the bowl does not come in contact with the water. Stir gently with a heat-proof spatula until the mixture registers 160 degrees F on an insta-read thermometer. Remove the bowl from the heat and immediately place it onto the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until meringue is glossy with stiff peaks, and the bowl feels cool to the touch. Spread the meringue over the pie, making sure the meringue reaches the edges of the crust. Brown the meringue using a kitchen torch, sprinkling the top of the pie with the reserved graham cracker crumbs. Slice with a sharp knife dipped into hot water and dried off. Refrigerate any leftovers. (Rather than fuss with plastic wrap, invert a large bowl over the remaining pie and refrigerate.)