True Cornish Pasties
Submitted by MTL_DUDE
Proper Cornish pasties with homemade flaky pastry wrapped around finely diced steak, lamb kidneys, potatoes, and root veg. The real deal from Cornwall, no shortcuts.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
120 minRight then, if you’ve ever had a proper Cornish pasty from an actual Cornish kitchen, you know the supermarket versions are a pale imitation.
This is the genuine article: buttery, flaky pastry encasing finely diced steak, lamb kidneys, potatoes, carrots, and onions seasoned with a whisper of nutmeg.
The pastry is made from scratch with cold butter and shortening, chilled for an hour, then rolled thin and crimped tight around the filling.
They bake up golden, sturdy enough to hold in your hand, and stuffed with enough savoury goodness to fuel a tin miner through a long shift.
Kitchen Tips
- Keep everything cold. Cold butter, cold shortening, ice water. Warm fat means tough pastry. Work quickly and don’t overhandle the dough.
- Dice the meat and veg very fine. These are small pasties with 3-inch rounds, so large chunks won’t cook through properly and they’ll be impossible to seal.
- Crimp firmly. A loose seal means the juices leak out during baking, and those juices are half the reason pasties taste so good.
- Lamb kidneys are traditional. If kidneys aren’t your thing, use extra steak, but the kidneys add a depth of flavour that’s hard to replicate.
- Egg wash for shine. That beaten egg brushed on top gives you the glossy, golden crust that makes these look as good as they taste.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut fat into the flour with a pastry blender or 2 knives or an electric mixer until the mixture is blended and forms lumps the size of peas.
Rub mixture between your fingers until you have a fine grained texture.
Add just enough ice water to make it stick together and quickly knead it into a smooth and shiny ball.
Speed is important.
Cover and refrigerate for 60 minutes before rolling out.
Halve the kidneys and remove film and fatty core.
Dice the kidneys and steak very fine.
Peel and chop the vegetables equally as fine.
Mix well in a bowl with parsley and spices.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Roll out the unsweetened pastry to a thickness of ⅛ inch and cut into 3-inch rounds with a cookie cutter.
Put a spoonful of the meat mixture in the center of the rounds.
Paint the edges lightly with water.
Cover with the remaining rounds, pinching the edges together very firmly.
Prick well with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and paint with the egg.
Bake 30 minutes.
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