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You are here: Home / Recipes / Chocolate / Blackberry Basil White Chocolate Tart

Blackberry Basil White Chocolate Tart

October 1, 2018 By Korena in the Kitchen 8 Comments

Blackberry season almost completely passed me by this year. Normally I’m out scouring the neighbourhood ditches and roadsides for blackberries the minute I notice they are ripe, but somehow I missed the signs and nearly forgot. Luckily, once I remembered, the blackberry item I had in mind only required a small handful of berries, which is how I ended up foraging for blackberries in the rain at the very tail end of the season and came up with just enough for this pretty little tart.

Blackberry Basil White Chocolate Tart | Korena in the Kitchen

Inspired by the gorgeous creations of majachocolat on Instagram, I decided to pair my little haul of blackberries with basil – a delicious combination I discovered a while back – and white chocolate to make a two-tone layered ganache tart. It sounds much more complicated than it is, I promise. There are a few steps, true, but none of them are difficult, and the end result is 1000% worth it: a delicately crisp cookie-like tart shell, bursts of tart whole blackberries, and creamy-sweet layers of white chocolate ganache infused with floral basil and bright blackberry.

Blackberry Basil White Chocolate Tart | Korena in the Kitchen

White chocolate can be pretty sweet, so to keep it from being too cloying, I used tangy crème fraîche in the ganache instead of plain heavy cream, added a few pinches of salt, and with the aforementioned whole blackberries strewn across the bottom of the tart, it is just right.

Blackberry Basil White Chocolate Tart | Korena in the Kitchen

I actually made this tart twice – the first time I underestimated the amount of blackberry and basil ganache that I needed to fill the tart shell and had to add a third layer of dark chocolate ganache. It was tasty and pretty but not quite what I wanted it to be, so I scaled things up and tried again, and it actually turned out better than I imagined. Don’t you love it when that happens?

Blackberry Basil White Chocolate Tart | Korena in the Kitchen

Blackberry Basil White Chocolate Tart

Makes one 9″ round tart (1″ deep), about 10-12 servings. The photos below show a scaled-down, slightly smaller tart for just me and Nate, however the amounts in the recipe as written are for a full 9″ tart. Click here for a printable PDF of the recipe.

Tart Crust

Pastry from Baking Chez Moi by Dorie Greenspan. Blind baking method from BraveTart by Stella Parks.

In a food processor, pulse together:

204 g all purpose flour (I recommend bleached flour for the most tender results)

60 g icing sugar

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Add 128 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, and pulse several times until it the butter is in small pieces ranging from the size of oatmeal flakes to peas.

pastry1

Beat 1 egg yolk with a fork to break it up, then add it slowly to the food processor via the feed tube while pulsing the machine. Once the yolk is added, run the food processor in longer pulses until the mixture forms small curds and just starts to clump together. It will seem too dry at first, but keep pulsing and it will magically transform. The sound of the machine will change just before it happens, and you should be able to squeeze a bit of the mixture in your palm and have it stick together.

pastry2

Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and mound it together with your hands. Using the heel of your hand, frissage the dough – that is, smear little bits of the dough away from you. This will make the dough cohesive without overworking the gluten, keeping the baked tart shell nice and delicate.

frissage

Form the dough into a round disc and place it between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to about a 12″ circle, about 1/4″-1/8″ thick. Slide the dough, still between the parchment paper, onto a cookie sheet and chill it in the freezer until it is firm.

pastry3

Remove from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, until it is just pliable. Peel off the parchment paper and fit the pastry into a 9″ fluted tart pan (1″ deep), pressing it against the bottom, corners, and sides of the pan. If the pastry rips, just patch it with a little scrap of dough. Trim off the excess pastry and set it aside (I baked it off as cookies and drizzled them with melted chocolate – yum!). Place the lined tart pan in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, until it is completely firm.

pastry4

While the pastry is in the freezer, preheat the oven to 350˚F (325˚F). Once the pastry is sufficiently chilled, line it with aluminum foil and fill it with granulated sugar – this will weigh down the bottom and sides of the pastry and keep it from puffing or shrinking.

pastry5

Bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is set. Remove the foil and sugar and bake for another 8-10 minutes, until evenly golden brown. Cool on a rack.

pastry6

Tart Filling

Once cool, brush the bottom of the tart shell with 50 g melted while chocolate. Scatter 1/2 cup whole blackberries evenly over the bottom of the tart. You want them to be covered by the ganache, so if they are sticking up above the edge of the pastry, cut them in half.

filling1

For the basil ganache layer, heat 100 g crème fraîche until steaming (I did this in the microwave). Stir in 16 basil leaves, roughly chopped, and let steep for about 20 minutes. Strain out the basil leaves and re-measure the crème fraîche, adding more if needed to bring it back to 100 g.

basilcream

Place 300 g white chocolate in a medium bowl and heat in the microwave (in 30 second bursts, stirring after each) or over a double boiler until just melted. Re-heat the basil-infused crème fraîche until steaming, then stir it into the melted chocolate, starting in the middle and stirring outwards, until smooth and emulsified. Stir in a pinch of fine sea salt.

basilganache1

Pour the basil ganache evenly over the blackberries in the bottom of the tart shell, then place in the fridge to chill while you prepare the next layer.

basilganache2

For the blackberry ganache, mash 50 g blackberries with a fork. Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice, then press the blackberry pulp through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and skins.

blackberrymash

Measure out 25 g of the resulting blackberry purée and stir it into 40 g crème fraîche.

blackberrycream

Place 200 g white chocolate in a medium bowl and heat in the microwave (in 30 second bursts, stirring after each) or over a double boiler until just melted. Heat the blackberry-crème fraîche mixture until steaming, then stir it into the melted chocolate, starting in the middle and stirring outwards, until smooth and emulsified. Stir in a pinch of fine sea salt.

blackberryganache1

Pour the blackberry ganache evenly over the chilled basil ganache layer in the tart shell, using a spatula to gently spread/nudge it right to the edge of the tart, and smooth out the top. Place the tart in the fridge to chill and set completely, at least a few hours.

blackberryganache2

To decorate, melt 75 g white chocolate and place it in a small piping bag. Snip off the tip of the bag to make a small hole. Remove the sides and bottom of the tart pan, then drizzle the chocolate artfully over the tart, in parallel lines or squiggles or circles or whatever you like.

decorating1

Top with a few perfect blackberries and small basil leaves, then carefully move the tart to a serving plate.

decorating2

To serve, run a large sharp chef’s knife under hot water and dry off the blade, then use the hot knife to cut the tart into clean slices. The tart cuts best when cold from the fridge, but let the slices sit at room temperature for a few minutes before eating for the best texture. Leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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Filed Under: Chocolate, Fruit, Other Baked Goods & Sweets, Recipes Tagged With: baking, basil, blackberries, dessert, ganache, recipe, tart, white chocolate

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Comments

  1. Lynda Bradbury says

    October 1, 2018 at 9:40 am

    That tart is truly beautiful!!

    Reply
  2. ASP says

    October 5, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    This is just stunning! What a great flavor combination.

    Reply
  3. ZazaCook says

    November 6, 2018 at 9:51 am

    Dear Korena, your tart is gorgeous! I love this dessert! Absolutely beautiful and delicious!

    Reply
  4. Zaza says

    November 6, 2018 at 9:53 am

    Yummy!

    Reply
  5. James Stapleton says

    September 7, 2019 at 11:22 pm

    Sound like phenomenal. This dessert is absolutely unique & delicious also. Great implementation. Great work.

    Reply
  6. suzanneholt says

    July 25, 2020 at 11:37 am

    This looks so good! What an awesome blend of flavors! I wouldn’t have thought to put those together!

    Reply
  7. Vanessa says

    July 25, 2020 at 11:37 am

    Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?

    Reply
    • Korena in the Kitchen says

      July 28, 2020 at 8:00 pm

      Probably a day ahead would be fine.

      Reply

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I'm Korena: cook, baker, dirty-dishes-maker. My favourite things include flour, butter, sugar, and chocolate. Read More…

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