Authentic Cornish Pasty Recipe
Cornwall, England
JUMP TO RECIPE
We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
One of the staples of British cuisine, the Cornish pasty is a savory pastry with a filling made from cubed beef, potato, rutabaga, and onion. While the recipe does not clearly state what type of pastry dough to use, shortcrust pastry is most commonly used. The traditional recipe calls for the ingredients to be uncooked when the pasty is assembled. Round pieces of dough are folded over a dollop of filling and crimped together at the edges, resulting in an unmistakable final product in the shape of the letter D.
Cooking tips
-
pastry
The number one rule is that the pasty should not break or lose shape. To ensure that does not happen, use strong flour with more gluten to make the dough more robust and elastic. Before baking, another important step is to chill the dough in the fridge for three hours to make sure pasties do not break or lose their shape. And as stated before, the original Cornish pasties need to have a letter D shape.... Read more -
ingredients
The traditional meat choice is beef skirt steak which has little fat and no cartilage, which allows it to be cooked at the same time as the vegetables — it is important to keep in mind that vegetables and meat should be cut into roughly equal pieces in order for them to cook at the same time. Potatoes should not fall apart while cooking; use waxy potatoes and avoid starchy varieties. And remember,... Read more -
baking
The ingredients should be uncooked when assembling the pasty, but some recipes precook the ingredients to improve the flavor. To get a crisp crust, place the pasties in a preheated oven and bake until golden brown, then reduce the heat and let them bake until cooked through. Once baked, leave them to rest for 30 minutes before serving to ensure all the flavors have been well combined.
Recipe variations
-
Gordon Ramsay’s Cornish Pasties
Ready in 1h 20minAdapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Great British Pub Food, these pasties largely resemble the original Cornish pasties, but are tweaked a bit — the recipe uses different cuts of beef, namely rump or sirloin, while the meat and vegetables are precooked to add more flavor.
Traditional Cornish Pasty
PREP 40min
COOK 55min
RESTING 3h
READY IN 4h 35min
According to the Cornish Pasty Association, a genuine Cornish pasty consists of beef skirt, rutabaga, onions, and potatoes, all cut into equal pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper, and encased in a flaky, savory dough.
Ingredients
500g (1.1 lbs) strong bread flour
120g (4 oz) lard or white shortening
125g (4.4 oz) Cornish butter
1 tsp salt
175 ml (3/4 cup) cold water
450g (1 lb) beef skirt steak, cut into cubes
450g (1 lb) potato, diced
250g (8.8 oz) rutabaga, diced
200g (7 oz) onion, sliced
salt & pepper to taste (2:1 ratio)
beaten egg and milk for glaze
Preparation
Combine the two types of fat with flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add water and knead the dough until elastic.
Cover the dough with cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for three hours.
Roll out the dough and cut it into approx. 20cm (8-inch) circles.
Place some meat and vegetables in the middle of the circles and fold the dough over to create a D shape. Crimp along the edges.
Whisk the egg and milk in a small bowl. Glaze the pasties.
Bake in a 165°C/330°F oven for 50-55 minutes.
Other authentic recipes
Rating And Comments
Rate It
Wanna try?
Add To List