As December comes to a close, I started looking back at all the things I made this year and asked, what was my favorite? Scrolling through my Instagram feed, one pic instantly jumped out, Strawberry-Basil Cream Tarts. I remember how happy it made me feel to eat one and how good it was, SO good I didn’t want to stop eating. Luckily they’re individual-sized. Knowing me, I would have tried to eat a whole 9″ tart. I hope you find these tarts just as satisfying.
I realize I’m posting this when the key ingredients are not in season, so I’d bump up the sugar a bit on the strawberries and then try the recipe again come summer. I used the smallest berries from my u-pick, approximately 1-1.5″ and they were intensely sweet and bursting with flavor.
Strawberry-Basil Cream Tarts
Makes 6 – 4″ tarts
Sablee Crust:
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cold water, plus extra if needed
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
Large pinch of salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1″ cubes
Cream Filling:
1 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Topping:
1 1/2 lbs strawberries whole (if small) or sliced (if large)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more if strawberries are not in-season
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
For the crust:
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, vanilla and water until combined. Set aside.
In a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the butter pieces are the size of small peas. Slowly drizzle in the egg mixture while pulsing until the dough just starts to come together. It should clump slightly. To test, take a small portion in your hand and if the dough holds together, you’re done. If it’s a bit crumbly, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it holds.
Transfer the dough to your counter and bring together to form a round disc. Flatten to about 1″ thick. The flatter the disc, the more quickly the dough will chill and the easier it will be to roll out. Let chill for at least 1 hour. I like to leave it overnight and resume the process the next day.
Preheat oven to 350.
Once the dough has chilled, take it out and leave on the counter for about 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of your room, to soften slightly before rolling. It should be cold but pliable. Roll out the dough into a 1/8″ thick circle, aiming to cut 4 – 5″ circles from it (plus 2 more with re-rolled dough). If at any point it gets too soft, place the dough onto a sheet pan and place in the fridge for 5 minute before resuming.
Using a 4″ tart pan as a guide, place it on the dough, and with a paring knife, cut a 5″ circle around the pan. If it’s not perfect, that’s okay. You’ll be cutting off the edges. Fit the dough into the tart pan and trim any excess with a rolling pin. Simply roll over the top of the pan, letting the pan edges cut the excess dough. Repeat with remaining dough.
Place the tart pans into the freezer for 15 minutes or until firm. Then line with parchment, fill with pie weights and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the dough appears dry. Remove the parchment and weights and bake an additional 5-8 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool completely in the pan.
For the filling:
Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Heat the cream until it just begins to bubble at the edges. Remove from heat.
Tear the basil leaves and place into the hot cream. Cover the pot and let steep for 30 minutes.
Then strain the cream into a container, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
When ready to assemble, place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the powdered sugar. Whip the cream to soft peaks.
For the topping:
Combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice and let sit 10 minutes to allow the berries to macerate.
For assembly:
Place a large spoonful of whipped cream into a cooled tart shell. The more rustic, the better, in my opinion. Pile berries on top and spoon over any of the leftover juices. Repeat with remaining tart shells. Serve immediately.