- 1
Ingredients
- makes about 9-12 pop tarts
- for the pastry
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- grated zest from 6 key limes (or about two regular limes)
- 1/2 about 1/2 tablespoon fresh mint, bruised + crushed
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (that's two sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 6-8 Tablespoons cold half & half cream (or whole milk)
- for the filling
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (use more or less depending on the sweetness of the berries)
- prep
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Preparation
Step 1
method
Prepare the pastry: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, lime zest, and crushed mint. Use your fingers to rub the zest and mint into the sugar until moist and fragrant. Whisk in the flour and salt. Add the cold bits of butter - toss to coat.
Place everything into the bowl of a large food processor. Using several short bursts, pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal (it will look very dry). Transfer the mixture back to the large mixing bowl and place the bowl into freezer. Freeze for about 30 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the freezer and sprinkle about 3 Tablespoons of the cream (or whole milk) on top of the mixture. Use a wooded spoon, a rubber spatula (or your hands) to gently work the cream into the dough. Keep adding cream, one Tablespoonful at a time, and mixing, until the dough starts to form a ball (you might not need all 8 Tablespoons). Don't add too much cream - the dough should be cohesive and slightly wet, but not sticky. Gather the dough into a ball and divide it in half. Flatten each piece of dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. {Note: Well wrapped, the dough can be refrigerated for three days.}
Prepare the filling: Place the blueberries, lime juice and sugar into a medium-size saucepan. Stirring occasionally, cook over med-low heat until the mixture resembles a thick jam. Remove from the heat: Cool completely before using.
Roll out the pastry: Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one disc of dough from fridge - if it's too hard, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes. On a generously floured surface, roll the dough out into a wide rectangle - about 1/8-inch thick. Use a sharp pairing knife to cut out an even number of small rectangles - my tarts were about 2 x 4-inches. (If you're anal and neurotic, like me, use a ruler to help keep things uniform.) Keep re-rolling the scraps of dough until it's all used up. Place rectangles onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Brush half of the rectangles with the beaten egg and add a healthy dollop of blueberry filling. Spread the filling out slightly but leave a 1/4-inch bare border. Cover the filling with the remaining rectangles of dough. Use your fingers to press the rectangles together and seal the edges with the tines of a fork. Place the sheet into the fridge and chill for about 30 minutes. Repeat with the second disc of dough. {Save the egg wash - you will be using it again.}
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Remove one sheet of tarts from the refrigerator. Brush the tops with the beaten egg and use a fork to poke several holes through the top of each tart - sprinkle with a little bit of granulated sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tarts are golden brown. Remove from the oven and place the sheets onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.