Strawberry Basil Tart
When planning my dessert trio for my pastry school final, I decided to make a strawberry basil compote to fill some puff pastry. At the end of the assessment when the chef was walking around talking to us about our dishes, he gave me a firm head nod and slight smile when he said “That strawberry-basil compote? I liked that.” I couldn’t help but agree and reply back “Yeah, that was good.” So I decided to recreate it into a tart, because why not have an abundance of that good good stuff?!
This is the perfect summer tart when fresh strawberries and basil are growing in abundance, though you can also supplement with frozen strawberries in the colder months as well. Since I went to pastry school in Scotland, in the winter, I too used frozen strawberries my first time.
With the balance of sweet and tangy mixed within a delicious pastry crust, this tart hits all the right notes in every bite. Not to mention, it’s a stunner to look at - I mean are you seeing these pictures??
If you’re looking for a dessert that brings a burst of summer (and beauty) to the table, well my friend… you’ve found her.
Equipment:
Tart pans: two 4.5-inch pans or one 9-inch pan
Pie weights or baking beans/rice*
Yields: 1, 9-inch tart
Ingredients:
CRUST (top and bottom)
16 tbsp (222g) unsalted butter, cubed
⅔ cup (77g) powdered sugar
1 tsp (9g) salt
2 ⅕ cups (320g) all-purpose flour
2 large egg yolks, beaten
1 egg beaten (for brushing crust), optional
Turbinado sugar for top crust sprinkling, optional
FILLING
3 cups (500g) Strawberries
1 cup (250g) Granulated sugar
2.5 Lemons, zested and juiced
5 tsp (15g) cornstarch
1 ¼ cup basil leaves
Directions:
CRUST
Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and give them a quick stir to combine.
Add butter*, gently stir to coat, and rub the butter through the dry ingredients to combine until fine, sand-like consistency. You can also do this in a food processor, adding the dry ingredients and the butter and pulsing until fine.
Add beaten egg yolk and cut through the mixture with a dough scraper or pulse in your food processor.
Gently compress the dough with a dough scraper to begin to bring it together into a ball, then dump the dough and any “dust” onto your work surface. If using a food processor, dump the mixture onto the counter and compress.
Gently smear out a few sections with a dough scraper or your hand - pushing a section out - and then scraping it back together, towards the dough ball. Keep an eye on your dough, once there are no more dry spots stop mixing.
Gently form your dough into a ball of sorts and cut it in half. One half will be for the bottom of your tart, the other for the top. Place one half between a folded piece of parchment paper (roughly 12-13 inches wide when folded) and roll into an 11-inch* circle. Repeat with the other half.
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, making sure to keep it flat.
Lightly loosen the edges of the dough so it fits into the tart pan. Use a bit of excess dough with a little bit of flour to gently press dough into the edges, making sure the dough is a consistent thickness throughout.
Use a rolling pin to roll off any excess dough from the rim. Press in any thick spots remaining.
Fork dough at the bottom of the tin and place back in the fridge for another 10 minutes.
Preheat to 320F CONVECT
Once the temperature is reached, place the tart onto a cookie sheet
Crinkle a bit of parchment paper and lay it into the pie, on top of the tart dough, then fill with rice/baking beans and gently even out.
Place the cookie sheet with tart into the oven on a rack placed in the top third and blind bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges just begin to brown.
Gently to avoid tearing, remove weights/beans/rice and return to oven another 4 minutes.
Cool completely, keeping the crust in the tart pan
FILLING
If using fresh strawberries, halve and quarter them before adding them to a medium pot.
Add sugar and zest to berries, and stir. Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat.
Once the mixture thickens, add the lemon juice, boil, and stir in your cornstarch.
Allow mixture to reduce down by at least a third - stirring regularly.
Remove from heat and stir in your chopped or torn basil leaves. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to ensure the basil flavor is evenly steeped.
Pour strawberry filling into lightly cooled crust. Don’t overfill! Depending on how juicy your strawberries are, the mixture likely will make a little extra so leave a lip of crust about ¼” between the top of your filling and the top of the crust. You can add the leftover mix to sass up your water or even reduce it and add it to buttercream!
Let the mixture “dry” - aka the top should appear less wet - for 15-20 minutes
Preheat oven to 320F CONVECT
Using a cookie cutter, cut the second half of your rolled raw pastry crust into petals. Place concentrically from rim to center to form a flower, with the top tip of the flower pointing to the edge of the pan.
Make an egg wash by cracking an egg into a bowl and adding a splash of water. Beat with a fork until combined and then brush crust with the egg mixture and sprinkle with coarse sugar
Place in fridge for 8 minutes
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top crust is golden
Enjoy!
If you love this recipe, please tag @accentgolden on social so I can see your bakes!
NOTES
I prefer a smaller baking weight like rice or tiny beans as it helps fit into the cracks of the tart/pie pan better than the larger weights
The butter for your crust should be slightly soft but still firm. If at any point it starts to feel like it’s melting, cover the bowl completely and place it in the fridge for 5 minutes to firm.
Do not roll the crust past a maximum of 12 inches otherwise, it will be too thin and will likely break as you try to lay it into your pan as well as be more crumbly in your tin.
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