Directions

• For the pastry:
• Sift the flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
• Cube the butter and add it to the bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the beaten egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and stir through to start forming your ball of dough.
• Gently bring the dough together with your hands and flatten it into a smooth disc. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.
• For the strawberry and basil jam:
• Place the strawberries and jam sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the fruit has broken down completely. You could help break down the fruit with a potato masher or wooden spoon to extract more of the juice.
• Strain the contents of the pan into a heatproof bowl to remove the seeds and larger strawberry pieces, then pour the strained liquid into a clean pan over a low heat.
• Heat the liquid until it reaches 104C, then pour it into a heatproof bowl. Alternatively, if you don't have a thermometer available, chill a plate in the fridge for 5-10mins, then once the jam has been noticably reduced, spoon a small amount onto the plate and set aside for 1-2 minutes. If the jam sets and forms a crinkle on the top when a finger is gently pushed through it, pour the contents of the pan into a heatproof bowl.
• Stir the chopped basil into the jam and allow it to cool slightly before placing it in the fridge to set.
• Line the tart tin:
• Grease the tart tin with butter and place it onto the center of a baking tray.
• Lightly dust the pastry and the kitchen counter with a little flour and roll out the pastry into a circle 3mm thick, roughly the thickness of a £1 coin.
• Line your tart tin with the pastry and place it in the fridge for 15 mins, or until firm to the touch.
• For the vanilla creme mouselline:
• In a mixing bowl, sift the sugar, flour and cornflour and stir to combine.
• Add the egg yolks to the mixing bowl and whisk into the dry ingredients to form a paste.
• Pour the milk into a medium saucepan, then split the vanilla pod in half using a sharp knife. Scrap the contents of the vanilla pod into the pan and place it over a low heat until the milk is lightly steaming.
• Pour half of the milk into the bowl, whisking continuously until the mixture is smooth.
• Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over a low heat, gently whisking constantly until the pastry cream is thick enough to hold its shape when a whisk is dragged through it.
• Pour the pastry cream into a heatproof bowl and cool in the fridge until it reaches roughly room temperature.
• Once cooled to room temperature, place the pastry cream into a large mixing bowl. A cube at a time, add the butter to the mixture, beating constantly to ensure each piece of butter has been incorporated before adding the next. Continue to beat the creme mousseline until light and holds it's own shape. It will likely be easiest to use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer for this!
• For the frangipane:
• In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat the egg and almond extract into the butter and sugar until smooth.
• Fold the ground almonds into the mixture and set aside until ready to use.
• To bake the tart:
• Remove the tart case, still on its baking tray, from the fridge and prick the base of it with a fork to create a series of holes all across its surface.
• Spread the jam in a thin layer over the base of the tart, before carefully spreading the frangipane over the top of the jam layer, avoiding the jam mixing with the frangipane as much as possible.
• Place in the oven at 160C fan for 35-40 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown and the frangipane springs back when lightly prodded with a finger. If the pastry is starting to brown more than you would like during baking, lay a sheet of tin foil over the tart to protect the pastry.
• Once baked, remove the tart from the oven and, while warm, use a sharp knife to cut away any excess pastry from the top of the tart and around the edge of the tin.
• Remove the tart from the tin and place onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Prepare the strawberry roses:
• Cut off the tops of the strawberry to cut away the stems and leaves, leaving you with a flat edge. This becomes the base of your rose.
• Placing the strawberry on its flat base, use a small, sharp knife to make 5 cuts around the edge of the strawberry to form 5 petals. You want to make each cut straight down into the strawberry about a third of the way in from its outer edge, taking care to cut most of the way down to the base, but not through it completely. After each cut is made, gently twist the knife to push the formed petal away from the rest of the berry.
• You should be left with a "core" of strawberry in a rough pentgon shape. Around a third of the way in from the edge of this core, repeat the cutting process you followed before to cut away the corners of the pentagon and create a second layer of petals.
• With the remaining core of the strawberry, continuing the cutting process at each corner to form petals until you reach the tip of the strawberry.
• Place each strawberry rose to one side until ready to assemble.
• Assembly:
• Spoon the creme mousseline into the pastry case, smoothing it out to fill the pastry case in a flat layer.
• Sprinkle the hazelnuts around the edge of the tart to create a border.
• Place a single strawberry rose in the center of the tart, then place a ring of strawberry roses around it. Place a final ring of roses around the first ring, sitting each in rose between two of those in first ring for the neatest look.
• Place the mint leaves in the gaps between the roses on the outer ring to give the effect of them growing out from underneath the strawberries!