Cornish Pasties

Step 1

1 Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the salt

Step 2

2 Add the butter and shortening or lard and, using your fingers, rub it into the flour until the mixture is crumbly, with varied size pieces of flour-covered fat the size of rice and small beans

Step 3

3 Add the water and mix with your hand until a wet, shaggy dough comes together, about 2 minutes, then knead in the bowl until it becomes elastic, 5 to 8 minutes

Step 4

4 The dough will be very sticky, but as you knead, it will become smoother and pull little bits of dough from the sides of the bowl

Step 5

5 This is an important step, as proper kneading will develop glutens, giving the pastry the strength needed to hold the filling and retain its shape

Step 6

6 Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces between 150 and 160 grams each

Step 7

7 Shape the dough into disks, wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days

Step 8

8 Make the filling and assemble the pasties: When ready to bake, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees

Step 9

9 Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper

Step 10

10 In a large bowl, mix together the meat, potatoes, rutabaga, onion and thyme until combined; you should have about 5 cups

Step 11

11 Season the mixture with salt and pepper and gently toss to combine

Step 12

12 Lightly flour your work surface and, working with one dough piece at a time, remove the dough from the plastic wrap

Step 13

13 Lightly flour the dough and the rolling pin and roll out the dough into circles approximately 9 inches in diameter

Step 14

14 In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with the cream, half-and-half, milk or water to form an egg wash

Step 15

15 Add a generous 3/4 cup (about 150 grams) of the filling on top half of each pastry circle, brush the border with the egg wash, then fold the pastry over the top and seal in a half-circle

Step 16

16 Use your index finger and thumb to crimp and twist the edge, tucking the ends underneath

Step 17

17 (You also can use a fork to crimp the edge

Step 18

18 ) Transfer the pasty to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and filling

Step 19

19 Using a pastry brush, brush the pasties with the egg wash

Step 20

20 Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pasties start to brown, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the pasties are a rich golden brown

Step 21

21 Remove from the oven, let cool for about 15 minutes and serve

Step 22

22 VARIATION: You can make a meatless version of the pasty (it's not officially a Cornish pasty then) by replacing the weight of meat with equal weight of additional potatoes

Step 23

23 NOTES: To make the pastry portable, the dough needs to be sturdy enough to encase the filling without breaking, which makes bread flour ideal for using in the pasty crust

Step 24

24 You may substitute with all-purpose flour, but the crust may crack more easily

Step 25

25 We had good results making pastry using lard and butter, shortening and butter, and shortening and vegan butter, so depending on your dietary preferences, use what works best for you