Cornish Pasties

Before you start

A Cornish pasty is a large D-shaped hand pie filled with raw beef, potato, swede (rutabaga) and onion, seasoned simply with salt and plenty of pepper. Under its protected designation, the traditional pasty contains only those ingredients and is crimped along one side. Everything goes in raw. As it bakes, the meat releases juices that the potato soaks up, creating its own gravy inside the sealed crust.

The pastry needs strength more than delicacy. Bread flour, a mix of butter and lard, and a few minutes of kneading make a pliable dough that wraps around a heavy filling without cracking or leaking. Cut the vegetables thin and the beef small so everything cooks in the same time, and give the pasties a long, moderate bake after an initial hot blast.

Ingredients

• Pastry500 g (4 cups, spooned and leveled) bread flour
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 125 g (½ cup plus 1 tbsp) unsalted butter — cold, cubed
• 125 g (½ cup plus 1 tbsp) lard — cold
• 175 ml (¾ cup) ice water
• 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
• Filling400 g (14 oz) beef skirt or chuck steak — trimmed and cut into 1 cm pieces
• 350 g (2 medium) waxy or all-purpose potatoes — peeled, thinly sliced or chipped into small flakes
• 150 g (5 oz) swede (rutabaga) — peeled and thinly sliced
• 150 g (1 medium) onion, finely chopped
• 1½ tsp fine salt
• 1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 20 g (1½ tbsp) unsalted butter — cut into 4 pieces

Method

1. Rub the butter and lard into the flour and salt until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the water and mix to a dough, then knead on the counter for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Keep the cut vegetables and beef in separate bowls so you can layer them. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
3. Divide the pastry into 4 pieces of about 230 g. Roll each into a round about 4 mm thick and cut around a 23 cm (9 in) plate.
4. On one half of each round, leaving a 2 cm border, layer a quarter of the potato and swede, then the onion. Season with salt and pepper. Add a quarter of the beef, season again and top with the remaining potato and a piece of butter.
5. Brush the border with water and fold the pastry over the filling to make a half-moon. Press the edges firmly together, then crimp by folding the edge over itself in small twists along the curved side. Tuck the ends under.
6. Set the pasties on the baking sheet, brush with egg wash and cut a small steam hole in the top of each. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Lower the oven to 165°C (325°F) and bake 30 to 35 minutes more, until the pastry is deep golden and a skewer slides easily through the vent into the vegetables. The center should read at least 71°C (160°F).
8. Rest the pasties for 10 minutes so the juices settle before eating them warm.

Tips for success

• Slice the potato by chipping thin, irregular flakes off with a knife instead of dicing it. The rough edges cook faster and soak up the meat juices.
• Season in layers, not only on top. Unseasoned pockets of swede are the most common reason a pasty tastes bland.
• If you are new to crimping, press the edge with a fork; it seals well even if it looks less traditional.

Substitutions

Lard

Use all butter (250 g) or half butter and half shortening. All-butter pastry is richer but more fragile, so chill it well before rolling.

Beef skirt

Chuck or flank steak work. Do not use ground beef, which releases fat and makes the filling greasy and dense.

Swede

Turnip or parsnip can stand in. Neither tastes quite the same: turnip is sharper, parsnip sweeter.

Variations

Cheese and onion pasty

Replace the beef with 200 g grated sharp cheddar mixed with the onion and potato; bake 20 minutes hot plus 20 minutes at 165°C (325°F).

Smaller party pasties

Cut 12 rounds of 12 cm, fill with the same ingredients diced smaller, and bake 20 minutes hot and 15 to 20 minutes lower.

Troubleshooting

The pastry cracked or leaked juices

The dough was underkneaded, rolled too thin or not sealed. Knead until elastic, roll to 4 mm and press the edges together before crimping.

Vegetables are still firm

The pieces were too thick. Slice thinly, and if a skewer meets resistance, bake for another 10 minutes at 165°C (325°F).

The filling is dry

The beef was too lean or the butter was left out. Use a cut with some marbling and keep the steam hole small.

Storage

Refrigerate cooled pasties within 2 hours and eat within 3 days. Reheat at 180°C (350°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, until hot through. Freeze baked pasties for up to 3 months, or freeze unbaked ones and bake from frozen, adding about 15 minutes at the lower temperature.

Safety notes

The beef cooks inside the pastry, so check the filling with a thermometer if you are unsure. Contains wheat and egg, plus milk from the butter.