Sweet Cretan honeydew melon patties Sitia

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 350 g honeydew melon(s), fresh, only the flesh weighed
• 1 pinch of salt
• 80 g white sugar
• 5 cm cinnamon stick(s)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 egg yolk, size M
• 1 tbsp tapioca flour
• 120 g cream cheese (misithra)
• 1 tsp mint, dried
• 1 pinch(s) cardamom powder
• 1 pinch(s) of mace powder
• 1 tsp mastic
• 170 g wheat flour type 405
• 50 g tapioca flour
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 100 g orange juice
• 4 tbsp syrup (melon syrup), from the preparation of the filling, see instructions
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp egg white
• 1 pinch of salt
• n. B. Wheat flour for the work surface
• n. B. Sesame for sprinkling
• Flowers and leaves for garnishing

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

Chop the seedless honeydew melon flesh into small pieces and simmer in olive oil with the salt, sugar, and cinnamon stick until the liquid has a honey-like consistency. Strain the flesh, remove the cinnamon stick, and let the melon drain for 1 hour. Reserve the syrup and flesh. Crack the egg and separate the yolk from the egg white. Mix the tapioca flour with 2 tablespoons of the drained liquid and whisk with the egg yolk. Set the mixture aside. Add all the other filling ingredients to the melon puree and mix. Add just enough of the egg yolk mixture to keep it mushy and not too runny. Keep the melon puree in the refrigerator. Make the coating mixture from the orange juice, the remaining egg yolk mixture, and the lemon juice, and set aside. Make the egg white glue with the egg whites and the corresponding ingredients. In the meantime, grind or crush the mastic grains into fine flour. Mix all the ingredients for the dough and knead into a smooth dough. Depending on the flour’s ability to swell, add a little more orange juice or plain flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Lightly flour the work surface. Knead the dough briefly, divide it into 3-4 portions, and roll them out into sheets of dough approximately 2 mm thick. Cut out circular discs approximately 10 cm in diameter. Use a suitable glass or an empty tin can for this purpose. Knead the leftover dough and roll out and cut out again until all the dough is used up. Using the above ingredients for 360 g of dough, I got 21 Kalitsounia dough discs and a small amount of leftover dough. Roll out the circular dough flatbreads into a slightly oval shape to make filling easier. Place a dough disc lengthwise on the work surface in front of you, place a tablespoon of the filling in the center, and brush the edge of the dough disc with the egg white glue. Fold the top and bottom sides of the pastry disc over the filling, one after the other. Brush the right and left sides with the glue and fold the sides towards the center to form a rectangle and hide the filling. Place the raw kalitsounia with the folded sides down on a greased baking sheet. Continue this process until all the pastry discs or filling are used up. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Brush the raw kalitsounia with the coating mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place the patties in the oven at medium heat and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Arrange the dish on a serving platter, garnish, and serve warm.