madbaker: (Bayeux cook)
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Cornish Pasties

Pastry:
3 cups flour
3/4 cup lard
pinch salt
cold water

Mix flour and salt, then cut in lard. Gently stir in water until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Roll out moderately thin and cut out circles of appropriate size. I got 10 pasty circles' worth.

Filling:
1 lb beef stew meat, chopped fine
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped turnip
1/2 lb potato, sliced thin on a mandoline and (surprise!) chopped
(I also threw about 3 oz sliced brown mushrooms)
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
salt & pepper
1 beaten egg for glaze

Mix except egg all together with your hands. Place filling down the center of each circle, brush the rim of with the egg, and bring the two sides of dough up to meat over the top of the filling and pinch together into a continuous scalloped seam. (Or use a commercial pasty press, which is what I did and makes life so much easier.) Pierce a couple of holes on top to let steam escape, and arrange pasties on a baking sheet.

Brush crusts with remainder of egg glaze and bake at 400 for 20 minutes, lower heat to 350 and bake 40 minutes longer. Serve hot, warm, or cold.

What worked: The flavor was just right - not too turnippy or potatoey, but just the right note of British stodge to go with a pint of cider on a cold evening. The mushrooms added a nice tangy under-note. The pasties looked good, as well. (If I hadn't had the pasty press they wouldn't have been as pretty, of course. I am a happy tool-using mammal.)

What didn't: Normally I overstuff pasties so I restrained myself; there was about twice as much filling as I needed. Unfortunately I understuffed this time. Pasties should be close to bursting. Also, I used commercial lard - which I suspected would be a mistake, but wanted to try to make sure. No flavor. Next time I'll hit the butcher for good-quality lard. Finally, the pasties were somewhat dry and tough from overbaking. The time should be reduced to 15 and 30 minutes, I think.

Will I make it again? I'm not in any hurry, but yeah.

From: [identity profile] gaudete1066.livejournal.com
Ever tried the pastie dough without the lard? Will it work do you think, or is this one that is doomed to be a non-veg friendly dough?
From: [identity profile] madbaker.livejournal.com
Not this particular recipe, but I've made meat pies with butter dough and it was fine.
From: [identity profile] naadhira.livejournal.com
I've made pastie-type dough with Crisco. It isn't the same, but it works quite nicely. (Just in case your degree of vegetarianism includes no dairy...)

I noticed that Crisco now has a 'no trans-fat' version, which I will have to try sometime soon.
From: [identity profile] gaudete1066.livejournal.com
I'm ovo-lacto, though yoghurt and butter are pretty much the extent of that (okay, AND ice cream!) I wonder... Grew up using Crisco, but have read recently that hydrogenation isn't the best for us. I guess that's where my "damn the torpedoes" attitude developed and I started using real butter. Sort like the rare times I drink soda: drink the real thing, full sugar, and die happy and toothless. (grin)

You guys in Portland yet? I'm in Tri-Cities (Kennewick), WA. Just up the Columbia to the east. We're kinda boring, but nice, and have a 10 month old daughterling.

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