STRAWBERRY BASIL TARTS

What do anti-inflammatory properties, uplifting feelings, digestive support, treating cold and flu symptoms, improving cardiovascular health, supporting immune health and fighting infections have in common? The answer is basil! Basil is all of those things, plus much, much more.

I had some extra fresh basil lying around and wanted to make use of it before it went bad. Now normally I don’t love the taste of basil. But I do love it’s medicinal properties. So I thought it would be the perfect thing to accent in some sort of baked good. And I always look for any excuse to bake! Baking and herbalism, my favorites.

I do love basil when it compliments the sweet flavors of things like berries. I already had some strawberries in the fridge, so it was a no-brainer to pair the basil with strawberries. And with fall is right around the corner and all, I’ve been fantasizing about baking. Something that I’ve had to go without during the summer, but only to avoid getting heat stroke. Midwest summers, man. They’re brutal. These strawberry basil tarts were the perfect christening of fall coming near.

I used Martha Stewart’s Perfect Pie Crust recipe and made mine from scratch. Store bought and frozen crusts will work too. So if you don’t want to make the crust, you don’t have to. I only used one of the doubled pie crusts I made, and I got about two and a half fairly large tarts out of it.

I ended up only using the basil in the frosting, I didn’t want it to be overbearing. The filling is a tart strawberry. I used minimal sugar since there’s a fair amount in the crust. But if you like your filling sweeter then adjust the sugar recipe appropriately.

To keep the tarts from overheating and burning, I combined equal parts milk (almond milk) and water into a small bowl and spread them on the tops of each tart using a pastry brush. This is optional, but I find it makes a huge difference on the outcome of the crust texure.

STRAWBERRY BASIL TARTS RECIPE

Recipe makes about 2 1/2 square tarts.

Ingredients:

• Pie crust, rolled and cut into squares (I used 4 squares for 2 tarts, plus a little left over for a cute heart tart)
• 1/2 cup of strawberries, diced
•  1 tablespoons sugar (I used white)
• 1 tablespoons of lemon juice
• Dash of vanilla extract (optional)

Milk wash ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 tablespoon of milk (I used almond)

Icing Ingredients:

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 basil leaves, chopped

Directions

1. Over medium heat, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla into a small saucepan until the liquids begins to bubble (about 5-10 minutes). Mix well and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. On a parchment lined baking sheet, lay out two of the pie crusts squares.
4. Smear the strawberry filling on top of the pie crusts, keeping it in the center and the edges clear.
5. Place the other crust squares on top and use a fork to score them shut.
6. In a small bowl, combine the water and milk and spread it on top of each square.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
8. Cool on a cooling rack.
9. Combine the icing ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl, and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
10. Enjoy!