Watermelon Pop Tarts

Pastry Dough

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat flour, butter, and salt on low speed until the pieces of butter are roughly pea sized. (You’ll want to have some that are a little bigger and some that are a little smaller to maximize the delicious flakiness!)
Pour in ice cold water, then mix on low just until combined.
Flour your work surface and rolling pin, then tip dough out onto surface. Roll dough out until it’s slightly smaller than your baking sheet.
Carefully place dough on prepared baking sheet. Cover with cling film. Place in fridge to chill for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight.

*Reserve the egg whites for assembling the pop tarts.

Purée some watermelon flesh by blitzing it in a high-speed blender, then measure out ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (or weigh out 155g) of puréed watermelon.
In a medium pot, bring puréed watermelon and lime juice to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
While juices are heating, in a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add egg yolks and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Once juice mixture has reached a simmer, slowly pour a small amount of hot juice into egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly. (This gently raises the temperature of the eggs so that they don’t end up scrambled.) After egg yolk mixture has been tempered, pour in remaining juice while continuously whisking.
Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to keep mixture from scorching and lumps from forming. Cook until mixture thickens and bubbles begin to appear, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add salt, then add butter one piece at a time, mixing until fully melted and incorporated. Mix in a splash of cream.
Strain curd into another bowl. Immediately press cling film directly onto surface. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to fridge to chill completely.

Retrieve pastry dough and watermelon curd from fridge.
Flour your work surface and rolling pin, then transfer dough to work surface. (Set lined baking sheet aside.) Roll dough out into a 12" by 24" rectangle. Using a pastry wheel, bench scraper, or sharp knife, cut dough into twenty-four (24) 3" by 4" rectangles.
NOTE: You’ll need to cut the dough into 4 columns (3" in width each) by 6 rows (4" in height each).
Evenly arrange 12 dough rectangles onto lined baking sheet. Place 1 ½ tablespoons watermelon curd into the centre of each rectangle, leaving a ½" bare border.
Brush bare borders with beaten egg whites. Place remaining 12 dough rectangles on top of filling-topped rectangles. Gently press edges together to seal, then crimp edges with a fork. Using a toothpick or small paring knife, prick a few holes in the tops to allow steam to escape.
Put baking sheet in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350°F.
After chilling and resting your pop tarts, brush tops with remaining egg wash.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow pop tarts to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Once your pop tarts are totally cool, it’s glazin’ time. In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and watermelon & mint mixer until smooth. Whisk in enough red gel food colouring to achieve your desired colour.
You have a few options for adding the glaze. You can drizzle or spoon it over the pop tarts. Alternatively, you can dip the pop tarts into the glaze, allowing excess to drip off. Glaze one pop tart using your desired method, then scatter sprinkles on top. Repeat with remaining pop tarts.
NOTE: It’s best to work one poppy tart at a time so you can add your sprinkles before the glaze begins to set.

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