The type of pastry used is not defined, as long as it is golden in color and will not crack during the cooking or cooling, although modern pasties almost always use a shortcrust pastry. There is a humorous belief that the pastry on a good pasty should be strong enough to withstand a drop down a mine shaft, and indeed the barley flour that was usually used does make hard dense pastry.
Variations
Although the official pasty has a specific ingredients list, the earliest recorded pasty recipes include venison, not beef. "Pasty" has always been a generic name for the shape and can contain a variety of fillings, including stilton, vegetarian and even chicken tikka. Pork and apple pasties are readily available in shops throughout Cornwall and Devon, with the ingredients including an apple flavored sauce, mixed together throughout the pasty, as well as sweet pasties with ingredients such as apple and fig or chocolate and banana, which are common in some areas of Cornwall.
Cornish Pasty Recipe
This recipe is for six good sized Cornish pasties.
Ingredients
For shortcrust pastry:
3 ¾ cups 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)
½ cup lard or white shortening
9 tablespoon Cornish butter
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup cold water
For the filling:
1 pound good quality beef skirt, cut into cubes
1 pound diced potato
6 ounces diced swedes (substitute a rutabaga)
½ pound sliced onion
Salt & pepper to taste (2:1 ratio)
Beaten egg or milk for glaze
Directions
1. Rub the two types of fat lightly into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Roll out the pastry and cut into circles approx. 8 in diameter. A side plate is an ideal size to use as a guide.
5. Layer the vegetables and meat on top of the pastry, adding plenty of seasoning.
6. Bring the pastry around and crimp the edges together (see crimping).
7. Glaze with beaten egg or an egg and milk mixture.
8. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F, and bake for 35 minutes or until golden.
Top Tips:
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, cooks in the same amount of time as the raw vegetables and its juice produces wonderful gravy. Use a firm waxy potato such as Maris Peer or Wilja. 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;
1. Lightly brush the edge of the pastry with water.
2. Fold the other half of pastry over the filling and squeeze the half circle edges firmly together.
3. Push down on the edge of the pasty and using your index finger and thumb twist the edge of the pastry over to form a crimp.
4. Repeat this process along the edge of the pasty.
5. When you have crimped along the edge, tuck the end corners underneath.
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