Strawberry and Basil Tart

Combining strawberries and basil, isn't that a wonderful idea? In case you have any doubts, today's recipe will clear them all with just one bite of the marvelous strawberry and basil tart that I show you today. A tart full of flavor and fresh, spring-like aromas, perfect to serve at any time of day.

Strawberry is one of my favorite fruits. Fresh, roasted, poached or candied it is delicious. In desserts, salads, or in sauces reduced with vinegar or wine to accompany meats it is splendid. Simply cut into small pieces and mixed with natural yogurt or creamy cheese, it turns them into a top-tier dessert. What to say if accompanied by a good spoonful of whipped cream, a bit of pastry cream or vanilla ice cream.

This strawberry and basil tart is a luxury dessert, a tart to win over adults and children and that, once you try it, will become a staple in your recipe collection. Let's get to the recipe!

Ingredients

For the sweet pastry (pâte sucrée)

• 150 g of butter cut into cubes
• 100 g of powdered sugar
• 60 g of almond flour (almonds ground very finely)
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• 250 g of flour

For the almond cream

• 100 g of softened butter
• 100 g of sugar
• 100 g of very finely ground almond
• 2 eggs

For the strawberry and basil jam

• 300 g of strawberries
• 35 g of sugar
• 3 g of pectin
• 1 coffee teaspoon of lemon juice
• 6 large basil leaves

For the final assembly

• 400 g of strawberries
• A few small basil leaves

Preparation

Preparation of the sweet pastry

1. In a food processor (or, if you don't have one, in a large bowl), beat the butter until softened to a pomade texture.
2. Add the powdered sugar and the almond flour and mix.
3. Add the salt and the egg and continue mixing until you achieve a homogeneous consistency.
4. Add the flour and mix the minimum time, just enough until it is incorporated.
5. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
6. After that time, remove it from the plastic and take it to a floured work surface. Roll it out with the help of a rolling pin, giving it a circular shape (marble ones are great for this type of dough, because they keep the dough cold longer).
7. Transfer the dough to the perforated De Buyer mold with removable base (or to a perforated baking sheet, placing a perforated ring) previously greased. Lower the dough to the base and press it with your fingers against the walls of the mold (it should form a right angle between walls and base).
8. Leave the dough in the mold covered with plastic wrap for at least one hour (ideally overnight!, until the next day).
9. After resting, bake the dough in a preheated oven at 160 °C for 15 minutes.
10. After 15 minutes, remove the dough from the oven and set aside. Keep the oven on.

Preparation of the almond cream

1. Place the butter, sugar, ground almond and eggs in the processor bowl and mix until you obtain a cream with a homogeneous texture.
2. Spread the almond cream over the tart base that you have baked for 15 minutes. Smooth it well with an angled spatula and place two or three sliced strawberries on top.
3. Bake at 160 °C for 25 minutes.
4. After the time has passed, remove the tart from the oven, carefully unmold the base and let it cool on a rack.

Preparation of the strawberry and basil jam

1. Clean and finely chop the strawberries and place them in a Shallow Casserole along with the chopped basil leaves.
2. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
3. In a bowl mix the sugar with the pectin well; add it to the strawberries, stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Finally, add the lemon juice stirring well.
5. Put the jam in an airtight container and refrigerate it to cool.

Assembly of the tart

1. While the jam and the tart base cool, cut the strawberries in half with a knife and set aside.
2. When the jam and the tart base have cooled, pour the jam over the tart and spread it with a spatula, distributing it well.
3. Arrange the strawberry halves in a circle forming a border on the tart, as seen in the video.
4. Gracefully cover the whole tart with the remaining strawberries and scatter the basil leaves on top.
5. Serve accompanied by a cup of tea black or with a splash of milk or your favorite plant-based drink.

Notes

• If you don't have pectin, you can substitute it with the peel of an apple, since this fruit naturally has a high pectin content, which is concentrated mainly in its skin.
• Pectin must be mixed with the sugar so it integrates well and it is necessary to add the lemon juice to activate it.
• Try this tart as an individual portion, make combinations with different red fruits, swap basil for rosemary or lavender..., I'm sure you'll fall in love with all the versions, because it's a delight!
• I adore strawberry jam. Whether to accompany some bread, some cookies, or by the spoonful!, it is delicious. The jam from this tart is also perfect for breakfasts, and if you want my favorite strawberry jam recipe, with a touch of cinnamon, you can find it here.
• To remove the strawberry stems, a very quick and easy way is to do it with the WMF corer and stem remover, which is also ideal for tomato stems.