The Peoples Cornish Pasty Recipes

CORNISH PASTY

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, cover carrots with water. Bring water to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool and slice. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Add butter, and rub to the consistency of coarse crumbs. Mix in water. If dough is sticky, add more flour.
• Roll dough out until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out six circles, each about 5 inches round. Do not stretch the dough.
• Mix meat and vegetables together, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover half of each pasty base with the filling. Moisten pastry edges, fold pastry over the filling. Press edges together with a fork. Transfer raw pasties to a baking sheet, brush tops with milk, and make a small slit in each top to allow steam out.
• Bake at 450 degrees F ( 230 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake for 35 minutes.

AUTHENTIC CORNISH PASTIES

Steps:

• To Make the Shortcrust Pastry: Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Add the cold butter and lard and pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water a little at a time, pulsing between additions, until the mixture begins to come together. DO NOT over-mix the dough or the pastry crust will be tough and won't be flaky. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using (this is crucial). (Can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 3 months.)
• To Make the Cornish Pasties: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Cut it into 6 equal pieces (rolling the dough into a log and then cutting makes this easier). Wrap and keep the other 5 pieces chilled in the fridge while you're working on one at a time. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a 8 inch circle that's about 1/8 inch thick. You can use an 8-inch plate as your guide and cut the dough around it to form your circle.
• Layer the filling (see note at end): Put layer of potatoes down the center of the pastry circle, leaving about 3/4 inch space on the top and bottom edges of the pastry dough. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next add a layer of rutabagas, onions and finally the beef, adding a light sprinkling of salt and pepper between each layer. Lay a couple pats of butter on top of the beef and sprinkle a little flour over the filling.
• Wet the tips of your fingers and lightly moisten the edges of the pastry dough. For this next part work gently so that the filling doesn't puncture through the dough. If this happens, patch up the hole with some of the scrap pieces of pastry dough. Bring the sides up and seal the pasty down the middle. Turn the pasty onto its side and crimp the edges in traditional Cornish fashion (see blog post pictures as a visual).
• Assemble the remaining pasties and lay them on a lined baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the center of each pasty. Lightly brush each pasty with the beaten egg mixture.
• Bake the Cornish pasties on the middle rack for 40-50 minutes until golden in color. Remove from the oven and let them sit for about 10 minutes (they will be very hot inside) before eating. They can be reheated in the oven (recommended for a crispier crust) or microwave. NOTE: Depending on how full you stuff the pasties you may have leftover filling. No worries, just fry it up together or add it to soup and enjoy it as a separate meal.

THE PEOPLE'S CORNISH PASTY

Steps:

• For the pastry, blend the flour, baking powder, salt, butter and egg yolks in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• With the motor still running, gradually add the water in a thin stream until the mixture comes together as a dough. (NB: You may not need to use all of the water.)
• Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for one hour.
• Meanwhile, for the filling, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Place the chopped beef and flour in a bowl and mix until the meat is coated in the flour. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Season all of the vegetables, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• When the pastry has chilled, divide it into six equal pieces. Roll out each piece of pastry onto a lightly floured work surface until it is just larger than the diameter of a dinner plate. Make sure not to tear the pastry.
• Using a dinner plate as a template, trim the edges of each piece of pastry to form a disc.
• Spoon some of the chopped potato onto one half of each pastry disc, leaving 1.5cm/¾in free at the edges.
• Spoon some of the chopped swede on top of the layer of potato, then spoon some of the chopped onion on top of the layer of swede. Finally, spoon over some of the beef.
• Brush the edges of the pastry discs lightly all over with a little of the beaten egg.
• Cover the filled side of each pastry disc with the other half of the pastry disc and press the edges together with a fork to seal.
• Brush the top of each pasty with more beaten egg. Using a sharp knife, cut a small cross shape in the top of the pasties through which the steam can escape.
• Place the pasties onto a baking tray and transfer to the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown and the filling is cooked through and piping hot (use a meat thermometer to check trhe temperature of the interior).
• When the pasties are cooked, remove them from the oven and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes, then serve.