Strawberry Tarts with Basil Infused Whipped Cream
A thin layer of lemon scented marscapone hides beneath those beautiful, sweet strawberries. But the thing that makes this tart so special is the dollop of basil infused whipped cream on top. It’s such an unexpected complement to the berries and adds an extra sense of freshness to the dessert. These tarts would be the perfect way to cap a leisurely Sunday brunch. Beautiful to look at and so easy to put together. Serve along side a pot of mint tea, or pop open a bottle of champagne and enjoy.
Speaking of tea, infusing the whipped cream is just as simple as making tea. Just steep some basil in a pot of scalded cream. That’s it! The amount of basil you use determines the intensity of its flavor. Be sure to plan ahead as the cream will need time to chill before you can whip it up.
I’ve included a recipe for my standard tart crust below, but you could also try it with the chili tart crust that I created for my Chili Lime Tarts. It would pair beautifully with the strawberry-cream cheese filling.
Photo by Daniel Marks
Strawberry Tart with Basil Infused Whipped Cream Recipe:
Yield:
4, 4-inch tarts
(To make a single 9-inch tart, double the whipped cream and strawberry filling parts of the recipe.)
Difficulty:
Easy
Special equipment:
4 small tart pans (around 3-4 inches wide each)
Pastry brush
Plan ahead:
The infused cream will need at least 4-6 hours to chill before you can whip it up, and the tart crust needs to cool to room temperature before it can be filled.
Ingredients:
Basil Infused Whipped Cream
⅓ cup heavy cream, cold
8-10 fresh basil leaves, torn (not chopped)
1 TBSP granulated sugar
Sweet Tart Dough
200 grams all purpose flour
84 grams granulated sugar or caster sugar
¼ tsp table salt
1 TBSP lemon zest (optional)
9 TBSP unsalted butter, cubed, very cold
1 large egg, cold, lightly beaten
Filling
4 TBSP marscapone cheese
3 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
8 - 10 fresh strawberries (or more as desired), washed and thoroughly dried
4 TBSP strawberry preserves, large pieces removed, room temperature (I like Bonne Maman brand)
Instructions:
To start your infused whipped cream, add heavy cream to a medium sized saucepan, and heat until it just starts to simmer. Remove from heat and add the torn basil. Cover, and let the basil steep in the cream for about 30 minutes. Strain the cream to remove the herbs and refrigerate until very cold. At least 6 hours or overnight.
To make the crust, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt until well combined and no lumps in the flour. Add the lemon zest, beaten egg and butter. Combine by pulsing a few times in a processor (or by hand using a pastry cutter or two knives) until the mixture is the texture of course meal. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and gently knead the mixture with your hands until you have a cohesive dough. Form dough into a ball.
Tip: If the dough is too dry and won’t come together, lightly dampen your hands with cold water and try again. The added moisture should help form the dough.
Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour and roll out to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out 4, 6-inch rounds (they don’t need to be perfect) and line each tart pan with the dough. Dock the dough, by poking holes in the bottom and freeze lined tarts for at least 30 minutes or until very firm.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the 4 frozen tart shells on a baking sheet, line tarts with aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or dried rice.
Bake for 8-12 minutes until light golden brown and a little firm, remove from oven and carefully remove pie weights and foil. Return tarts to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the crust is golden and looks dry. Let cool completely on cooling rack and remove shells from tins.
When the tart shells are cool, combine marscapone, sugar, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spread the mixture along the bottom of each shell. I use the back of a small spoon to spread it. Refrigerate if not serving right away.
With marscapone filling.
When ready to serve, slice strawberries and set aside.
Remove the chilled cream from the refrigerator, add 1 TBSP sugar and whisk by hand or in a mixer until soft peaks form.
To serve
Decorate the tarts with the strawberry slices, gently brush the tops with the preserves, and place a generous dollop of whipped cream on each tart.
Enjoy it with a glass of Champagne or Moscato. Why not?
Glazed strawberries before topping with basil whipped cream. So beautiful.
