Gluten Free Cornish Pasties Recipes

VEGETABLE CORNISH PASTIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Divide pastry dough into four equal portions and roll each one out in a square shape. Set pastry aside to rest.
• Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter or margarine and allow to melt. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown. Add carrot, turnip, potato, mushrooms, and water. Lower heat and cover skillet. Allow mixture to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast extract in milk. Whisk in 1 egg. Stir this mixture into cooked vegetables. Continue to stir until mixture thickens. Add cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
• Place 1/4 of filling on one half of each pastry square. Fold pastry diagonally and seal edges. Brush tops of pastry with beaten egg.
• Place pasties on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

GLUTEN FREE CHEESE AND ONION PASTIES

Steps:

• Making the pastry (1). Gluten free pastry can be tricky. A small amount of xanthan gum and a little time for it to absorb the water can make it a lot easier to handle. The addition of some egg will help too; it will also make the pastry light and flaky. Mix the flour and xanthan gum together in a bowl. Add the butter in small chunks. Rub the flour/gum mixture and the butter together with your fingertips to form "breadcrumbs."
• Making the pastry (2). Add 2/3 of the beaten egg to the breadcrumbs and mix. Save the rest of the egg for glazing. Add a little cold water to the mix and work into pastry. You want the pastry to be a little sticky, slightly stickier than conventional pastry as the xanthan gum absorbs water. Wrap it in a plastic food bag and put it in the fridge for an hour.
• Making the filling. The garlic is optional but, as it's roasted, adds a lovely extra flavour. Mix the cheese, onion, garlic (if using) and potato.
• Assembling the pasties (1). Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) and lightly oil and flour a baking sheet. Take the pastry out of the fridge and put it on a board lightly covered with gluten free or rice flour. Cut into either two or three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rough round big enough to fold over into a pasty. Spoon the filling into the centre of each round.
• Assembling the pasties (2). Brush water round the edges of each pastry circle and fold the pastry over the filling so the edges roughly align. Pinch the edges together and fold them into a thick edge where they meet. Be careful as gluten free pastry is prone to cracking. Use the water and brush to help fix any cracks. Put the pasties on the baking sheet and brush them with the remainder of the beaten egg. Bake for 35-40 minutes. When they come out leave for a couple of minutes then put them on a rack to cool. Eat hot or cold.

LIGHTER CORNISH PASTIES

Steps:

• To make the filling, mix everything together in a bowl with ¾ tsp black pepper and 1 tbsp cold water. Stir in a pinch of salt and set aside. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line 1-2 baking sheets or trays with baking parchment.
• To make the pastry, put the flour, baking powder and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Tip in the oil, egg yolk and 5 tbsp cold water. Pulse again until the dough just starts to come together, adding another ½-1 tbsp water, or as needed. If you gently press the dough and it sticks together, you know it's the right consistency. Tip out the dough onto the work surface and gently press it into a smooth ball.
• Cut the pastry into 6 equal pieces. For each pasty, lightly and briefly shape one piece of the pastry to a smooth ball. (Keep the other pieces wrapped in cling film until needed.) Press the ball down to make an even flattened round. Then roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface, as thinly as you can, to a circle just over 20cm in diameter, keeping the round shape with your hands as you roll. As you're rolling the pastry thinner than usual, handle it carefully to prevent it breaking, and keep the work surface and rolling pin lightly dusted with flour to prevent the pastry sticking. Use the base of a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin (or similar) as a guide to cut around to neaten the pastry edges (step 1). Spoon a sixth of the filling down the centre of the pastry circle and lightly press down with your hand to contain and flatten it slightly. Dampen the pastry edges with water (step 2) and carefully bring one side of the pastry over to join the other side (step 3), tucking in the filling to keep it inside as you do so. Press the joins together to seal, then make a thin decorative edge by rolling or curling the pastry edge over all the way around. Press down to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Sit each pasty on the baking sheet or tray, then pierce a small hole in the top of each one for the steam to escape. Beat the egg white to loosen, then brush a little over each pasty to glaze (step 4).
• Bake for 15 mins, then lower the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush with more egg white, and bake a further 35 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden, covering loosely with foil if they are browning too quickly. Remove with a wide spatula and leave to cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.