Dan and Steph share their secret strawberry tart recipe

The combination of strawberry and basil is one we love to use regularly.

Dan and Steph's strawberry tart. Picture: Contributed

WE ARE lucky to have a great supply of Aussie strawberries available all year round.

And here in Queensland the traditional summertime production is extended through the winter months, with luscious juicy strawberries on supermarket shelves nearly all the time.

Fresh strawberries are great, but they can be teamed with some unlikely partners, like basil, to create stunning tastes.

How about a delicious and easy dessert like our yummy strawberry tart?

We hope you and your loved one enjoys it - it's fresh, vibrant and fun.

The combination of strawberry and basil is one we love to use regularly.

Thanks everyone, enjoy!

An interesting but delightful combination - strawberries and basil. Picture: Contributed

STRAWBERRY, BASIL AND CREAM TART

Ingredients

Pastry

1 ½ cups of plain flour

125g unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into cubes

1/3 cup of icing sugar

1 egg yolk

drizzle of cold water

OR

You can create a base like that of a cheesecake and use one packet of plain biscuits and about 80-100g of butter melted.

Filling

250ml cream

165g mascarpone

1 vanilla bean

1 tbs of honey

1-2 punnets of strawberries

3 tbs of balsamic vinegar

½ cup of pistachios, toasted

1 bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped

Dan, Steph and Emmy Mulheron. Picture: Contributed

METHOD

1. Pastry - place flour, icing sugar and butter cubes into a food processor and blitz until they look like breadcrumbs.

2. Add egg yolk and blitz again. If the pastry doesn't form a ball in the processor, slowly drizzle a small amount of cold water as it's running. Once the pastry is done, it will form a ball to one side of the processor.

3. Place pastry onto a floured bench and bring it together softly, do not knead.

4. Wrap the pastry in lightly floured cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

5. Once the pastry has cooled in the fridge, remove and prepare by oiling with spray oil your rectangle fluted tart tin or use a 23cm round fluted tart tin

6. Roll out the pastry on a piece of floured baking paper in the shape of the tin until it is about 3-4mm thick.

7. Then flip the baking paper over onto the tin, slowly remove the paper and press in the pastry to all edges - trim the edges of pastry, leaving a little over the top.

8. Place back into the fridge for 30 minutes.

9. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

10. Take out pastry and line with baking paper, add weights such as rice or baking weights, then place into the oven for 10 minutes

11. Remove the weights and baking paper and continue to bake for 12 minutes until golden brown.

12. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely - trim any edges to level it up.

13. OR IF YOU USE BISCUIT BASE - simply crumb the biscuits in a processor and melt the butter, combine until it resembles wet sand and press into tart pan well and refrigerate. No need to bake this one, but make sure the biscuits are wet enough, otherwise it will become crumbly and fall apart when you slice it. The biscuits should look quite wet with the butter.

14. Filling - in a bowl, whip the mascarpone until slightly fluffy, then add the cream and whip on medium to high until quite stiff but not over whipped.

15. Stir in honey and taste, add more if you wish - pour this mixture into your cooled tart case, slightly even it out.

16. In a small bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar and vanilla bean.

17. Cut strawberries in halves and place in the balsamic mix, allow to marinate for 20 minutes, then drain.

18. Carefully push the strawberries into the filling with the biggest part in the cream, continue until the entire tart is done.

19. Crush your toasted pistachios and sprinkle over the tart, then finish it off with finely chopped basil leaves.

20. Place in the fridge to firm up and then serve.