Strawberry Basil Tart with Lime Curd

The Menu:

Strawberry Basil Tart with Lime Curd

The Original Recipe:
I found this on a food blog called domesticfits.com. I knew that when I saw it I had to make it. We have a plethora of strawberries in our patch, and I have a ton of basil growing outside so what better way to use them! I am not a baker. I tend to lean towards comfort foods when I cook and bake, but I have a friend April who always makes things outside of my comfort zone, and I tend to love her cooking and baking. So, when I saw this and I thought to myself-self I thought-" this looks like something April would make!" I knew I had to try it for myself. I am glad I did. SOOOO good!! This is a perfect blend of tart and sweet and the basil gives it a great twist. It was so easy to make, too. I didn't have a tart pan, but a 9 inch deep dish pie plate worked fine. Also, I learned that when assembled it looks good right away, but give it less than 30 minutes on a hot humid day and it turns to mush. It still tasted great, but it didn't look pretty. If considering taking this tart to a potluck, of any kind, I would only assemble the crust and curd and let cool, then take the whipped topping and strawberry mixture along in separate bowls and then assemble right before serving. This way it still looks pretty to others.

Strawberry basil Tart with Lime Curd
via domesticfits.com

Crust:
3 cups of Lemon Shortbread Cookies
5 tbs melted butter
2 tbs brown sugar

Curd: 2 tbs lime zest
5 egg yolks
½ cup white sugar
¾ cup lime juice
5 tbs unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Whipped cream:
¾ cup whipping cream
¼ cup white sugar

Strawberries:
 5-8 leaves of basil
1 ½ cups chopped strawberries

1/4 cup powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, pulse the cookies until finely crumbled. Add the melted butter and the brown sugar. The brown sugar will give you a nice caramel flavor that you won’t get with white sugar. Pulse away until it looks like wet sand. I like to dump the contents of my food processor into the middle of a tart pan (use a tart pan with a removable bottom) and then assemble the sides before packing the bottom; it makes it easier to get even, sturdy sides. Then move on to the bottom and pack it really tight. Bake the tart crust for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned, allow to cool. Then make the curd. It’s really an unappealing term for such a lovely treat. Whisk the zest, yolks, sugar, and lime juice in a bowl until well combined. Add the butter with the lime mixture to a pan over medium low heat. Whisk until thickened, about 8 minutes. Pour the curd into the cooled tart crust and chill until set, about 15-20 minutes.
Then make the whipped cream. In a stand mixer, add the whipping cream and the sugar. Mix on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Now, you can add this to the top, but I didn’t want to hide the beauty of the berries under all of that fluff, so I added it to the middle, on top of the cooled and set curd.
Then stack up the basil leaves and roll them up tight like a cigar and chop them really finely to make skinny tiny ribbons, about 1 tbs worth. In a bowl, combine the ribbons of basil, the chopped strawberries and the powdered sugar, stir until well combined. Add the berries to the top of the tart and serve fairly immediately. If you plan to make the tart ahead of time, you can cut make everything as instructed, but keep the strawberries separate and save the basil cutting until the end, just top the tart with the strawberry basil mixture right before you serve.