Cornish Pasty

Ingredients

• For the shortcrust pastry
• 450 g plain flour
• 115 g lard, cold, cubed
• 115 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 150 ml cold water, approximately
• For the filling
• 400 g beef skirt, trimmed, sliced thin across the grain
• 350 g waxy potato, peeled, sliced 3 mm thick — raw
• 300 g swede (rutabaga), peeled, sliced 3 mm thick — raw
• 150 g onion, peeled, finely sliced — raw
• 1 tsp fine salt, for layering — applied in pinches to each layer
• 1 tsp ground white pepper, for layering — applied in pinches to each layer
• To finish
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub the cold lard and butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining — do not over-work. Add the cold water a little at a time, cutting through with a knife until the dough just coheres. Press into a flat block, wrap, and rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it holds together cleanly under pressure but is not tacky.
2. 2
   Divide the rested dough into four equal portions. Roll each portion on a lightly floured surface to a round approximately 25 cm in diameter and 3–4 mm thick. The round must be sturdy enough to be lifted without tearing — if it tears, it is too thin and will not survive the bake.
3. 3
   Layer the raw filling across the lower half of each pastry round, leaving a 2 cm border at the edge. Begin with potato slices in a single layer; season with a pinch of salt and white pepper. Lay the beef skirt evenly over the potato; season again. Add the swede in a single layer; season. Finish with the onion. Each layer receives its own seasoning — this is where the dish lives or dies: raw filling, individually seasoned in the prescribed order, ensures that each ingredient's moisture distributes correctly during the enclosed bake and that the pastry absorbs the cooking juices; pre-cooked or mixed and mounded filling will dry out before the pastry is fully baked.
4. 4
   Brush the pastry border with egg wash. Fold the upper half of the round over the filling to meet the lower edge, forming a D-shape. Press the edges firmly together. Beginning at one end of the curved seam, fold and twist the joined pastry edge over itself in a continuous rope-twist motion, working along the full curve. Achieve 18–20 folds minimum — the crimp must run along the top curved edge, not the straight side. The crimp is firm and even when it holds its shape without springing open.
5. 5
   Transfer the crimped pasties to a lined baking sheet. Brush the surface with egg wash. Cut one small steam vent in the top of each pasty. Bake at 200 °C (180 °C fan) for 20 minutes, then reduce to 180 °C (160 °C fan) and bake for a further 25 minutes. The pasties are done when the pastry is deep golden and the filling is audibly softened — a thin skewer inserted through the steam vent meets no resistance from potato or swede.
6. 6
   Rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. The pasty should be rigid enough to be lifted and held in one hand without buckling. A pasty that collapses when lifted is structurally deficient.