Sicilian watermelon tart

/5

PRESENTATION

Watermelon gelo, like the classic cinnamon gelo, is an excellent spoon dessert, but it can also be used for preparing fresh and morish desserts, like Sicilian watermelon tart! A summer version of the traditional jam tart, made with shortcrust pastry, filled with this typical Sicilian watermelon recipe. For those of you who didn't know, melone is a synonym for watermelon in Sicilian, the undisputed star of the summer. If you love this fruit too, then this watermelon tart will steal your heart, even in the tartellette or cold cake versions!

You may also like:

INGREDIENTS

For the shortcrust dough (for a 8" diameter mold)
Type 00 flour 2 cups (250 g)
Butter 1 stick (90 g) - (cold from the refrigerator)
Powdered sugar 7 tbsp (50 g)
Eggs 1 (55 g) - (1 medium one approx.)
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Fine salt 1 pinch
For the watermelon filling
Watermelon 2 lbs (1 kg) - (already cleaned)
Sugar 1 cup (200 g)
Cornstarch ½ cup (70 g)
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
For garnishing
Dark chocolate chips to taste
Preparation

How to prepare Sicilian watermelon tart

To make Sicilian watermelon tart, start with the shortcrust pastry: place the flour and the sugar in a bowl 1, then add a pinch of salt 2 and the vanilla extract 3.

Stir with a fork, then add the diced cold butter 4. Mix with your finger tips until sandy in consistency 5, then add the egg 6.

Now knead by hand into a smooth and firm mixture 7. Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper 8, cover with another sheet, and roll out with a rolling pin until 0.2 inches thick 9. Leave the shortcrust dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the watermelon filling: clean the watermelon, remove the seeds and the rind, 10, then coarsely chop. Place the watermelon in a mixer 11 and blend it 12.

Sieve the watermelon puree in a saucepan to remove any filaments 13, then add the sugar 14 and the cornstarch 15. Stir with a whisk and heat on the stove.

Cook on a medium flame and stir continuously from the moment in which it starts to thicken, which will take around 10 minutes 16. Upon reaching the right consistency, remove the saucepan from the heat and flavor with the vanilla extract 17. Stir and leave the watermelon jelly to cool in a bowl 18.

In the meantime, remove the shortcrust dough from the refrigerator and place it in a 8" mold with the parchment paper, then trim any excess dough or paper along the edge 19. Pour the watermelon in the mold 20 and smooth the surface 21.

Knead the left-over dough, roll it out and cut into strips for the decoration 22. Add the strips to the tart 23 and bake in a static oven preheated to 356° for around 40 minutes, until the shortcrust pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool fully, then garnish with the chocolate drops. The Sicilian watermelon tart is ready to be served 24!

Storage

Sicilitan watermelon tart can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.

If you want, you can prepare the shortcrust dough the day before and store it in the refrigerator. The watermelon cream can be stored for 2 days in the refrigerator and is also delicious served as a spoon dessert.

Tips

You can garnish the tart with chopped pistachios, chocolate drops, or even both!

If you prefer, you can use a planetary mixer with a leaf spatula for preparing the shortcrust pastry.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.