Cornish Pasty (Cornish Pasty) — Traditional Beef and Swede Hand Pie

• 500 gplain flour
• 8 gfine sea salt
• 125 gcold unsalted butter (cut into 1 cm cubes)
• 125 gcold lard (cut into 1 cm cubes)
• 150 mlcold water
• 450 gbeef skirt (trimmed and diced into 1 cm pieces)
• 350 gwaxy potatoes (peeled and diced into 5 mm cubes)
• 250 gswede (peeled and diced into 5 mm cubes; in Cornwall this is often called turnip)
• 175 gonion (finely chopped)
• 4 gground black pepper
• 20 gunsalted butter (cut into 4 small portions)
• 1eggs (beaten with 15 ml water)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the shortcrust pastry by mixing the plain flour and 8 g salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter and lard with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining.

2. 2

   Pour in 120 ml of the cold water and mix with a table knife until the dough begins to clump. Add the remaining 30 ml only if dry flour remains, then knead briefly on the work surface until the pastry is firm, smooth, and cohesive.

3. 3

   Flatten the pastry into a thick disc, wrap it tightly, and chill it for 30 minutes. This rest lets the flour hydrate and makes the dough elastic enough for the traditional Cornish side crimp without cracking.

4. 4

   Heat the oven to 200 C. Line a baking tray with 1 sheet of parchment paper, and keep the chilled pastry nearby while you prepare the filling so the fat stays firm.

5. 5

   Combine the raw beef skirt, potatoes, swede, onion, 7 g salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Do not cook the filling first and do not add gravy as you might for steak and kidney pie, because a proper Cornish pasty steams its own juices inside the pastry.

6. 6

   Divide the pastry into 4 equal pieces of about 225 g each. Roll each piece into a round about 22 cm wide and 3 mm thick, turning the dough often so it stays even and does not stick.

7. 7

   Place one-quarter of the filling slightly to one side of each pastry round, leaving a 2 cm border. Add 5 g butter on top of each mound, then brush the edge lightly with beaten egg so the seam seals securely.

8. 8

   Fold the bare half of pastry over the filling to make a half-moon shape and press the edges together firmly. Crimp along the side, not across the top, by folding and pinching the edge in small overlapping pleats from one end to the other.

9. 9

   Transfer the pasties to the prepared tray and brush the tops with the beaten egg glaze. Cut one small steam slit near the top of each pasty so pressure can escape without splitting the crimp.

10. 10

    Bake for 20 minutes at 200 C, then reduce the oven to 170 C and bake for 30 to 35 minutes more. The pasties are done when the pastry is deep golden and the potatoes and swede are tender when tested through the steam slit with a thin skewer.

11. 11

    Rest the pasties on the tray for 10 minutes before serving. The filling will be extremely hot, and the rest allows the beef juices to settle into the potato and swede rather than running out when cut.