Most definitely a Cornish Pasty Recipe to keep for the future. This is for six good-sized Cornish Pasties.
This recipe is for six good-sized Cornish pasties.
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry (rough puff can also be used):
- 500 g strong bread flour (it is important to use a stronger flour than normal as you need the extra strength in the gluten to produce
- strong pliable pastry)
- 120 g lard or white shortening
- 125 g Cornish butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 175 ml cold water
For the filling:
- 450 g good quality beef skirt, cut into cubes
- 450 g potato, diced
- 250 g swede, diced
- 200 g onion, sliced
- Salt & pepper to taste (2:1 ratio)
- Beaten egg or milk to glaze
Method
- Rub the two types of fat lightly into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add water, bring the mixture together, and knead until the pastry becomes elastic. This will take longer than normal pastry but it gives the pastry the strength that is needed to hold the filling and retain a good shape. This can also be done in a food mixer.
- Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 3 hours in the fridge.
- This is a very important stage as it is almost impossible to roll and shape the pastry when fresh.
- Roll out the pastry and cut into circles approx. 20cm diameter.
- A side plate is an ideal size to use as a guide.
- Layer the vegetables and meat on top of the pastry, adding plenty of seasoning.
- Bring the pastry around and crimp the edges
- Glaze with beaten egg or an egg and milk mixture.
- Bake at 165 degrees C (fan oven) for about 50 – 55 minutes until golden.
Top tips:
The beef skirt is the cut traditionally used for Cornish pasties. This is the underside of the belly of the animal. It has no gristle and little fat, cook’s in the same amount of time as the raw vegetables and its juice produces wonderful gravy.
Use a firm waxy potato such as Maris Piper. A floury potato will disintegrate on cooking.
How to crimp
Crimping is one of the secrets to a true Cornish pasty. A good hand crimp is usually a sign of a good handmade pasty.
To crimp a Cornish pasty
- Lightly brush the edge of the pastry with water.
- Fold the other half of the pastry over the filling and squeeze the half-circle edges firmly together.
- Push down on the edge of the pastry and using your index finger
- and thumb twist the edge of the pastry over to form a crimp.
- Repeat this process along the edge of the pasty.
- When you’ve crimped along the edge, tuck the end corners underneath.
Source, prepared and tried and tested by: Jack O’Neill
