Proper Pasties
Page 7
Pork, onion and sage at one end, fruit at the other
Developing a Two Course Pasty
The concept for the piece was to go “head to head” with Hugh, each of us creating a 2 course “afters” pasty (savoury at one end, sweet at the other) in a little competition. The 2 course pasty is somewhat legendary, with some sources claiming it was very common while others suggest that they were rarely, if ever produced. The idea of course is that you start eating from the savoury end, and when you reach the sweet filling at the other that becomes your “afters”.
The only recipes I've been able to find for two course pasties are modern, claiming to be recreations of historical recipes. The earliest work in my collection of books which mention pasties (Cornish Recipes Ancient and Modern, first published in 1929) lists no less than 18 different pasty recipes, yet makes no mention of a 2 course pasty (I use the word 'recipe' loosely here - while some of them are more verbose one are two are a little light on details. For example, the recipe for Date Pasty simply reads “Stone dates and fill in the usual way”!) There is lots of evidence however that pasties with sweet fillings, such as apple or jam, were common and so I find it unlikely that two course pasties wouldn't have been experimented with at least on occasion.
In all of the modern two course recipes I found there was a common theme – a barrier of some kind (sometimes using a “flap” of pastry, other times using some stale bread) to keep the sweet and savoury fillings separate.
The idea for the programme was that Hugh would create a pasty using that method, while I would go with a barrier-less pasty. By carefully selecting the fillings, my idea was that it should be possible to create a flavour combination which works even when two fillings mix. I came up with several ideas; venison and blueberry, duck and cherry, and pork and apple.
Pork and apple seemed to work best, not only for the flavour but also texture – if the fruit filling is too wet or soft it will break down during cooking, and can ruin the texture and make the pastry soft. Apple of course works great in pasties and pies, and is a classic flavour combination with pork. So, without further ado, here is the two course pork and apple pasty I created (and do watch out for the next series of River Cottage which as far as I know will still include a two course pasty segment – I'm looking forward to trying Hugh's recipe myself and seeing how it compares to my own!)
Two Course Pork & Apple Pasties
Makes 4 pasties
Ingredients
Your choice of pastry for 4 pasties (See pastry section)
400g (14oz) pork tenderloin
4 rashers unsmoked streaky bacon
1 medium onion
1 large potato
1 piece of swede (similar size to the onion)
1 large Bramley apple
1 large Braeburn apple
2 tbsp fresh sage (finely chopped)
4 tsp blackcurrant jam
Black pepper
Salt
Butter
A little extra flour
1 egg
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Chop the bacon into small pieces and fry off in a dry non-stick pan until browned, this gives a nice extra hit of flavour. Dice the pork and set aside. Dice the vegetables as you would for a standard pasty and add the bacon and sage, a couple of good pinches of salt and lots of black pepper, and mix together thoroughly.
Peel, core and chop the apples and set aside. Roll out the pastry into rounds as you would for standard pasties. On each round, place a pile of the vegetables at one end and top with a quarter of the pork (and remember which end is which!). Place a pile of apple at the other end and then a spoonful of jam at the very end. Add a knob of butter and a pinch of flour, then fold and crimp as for standard pasties.
Make holes in the top for the steam to escape, brush with eggwash, and transfer to baking sheets. Bake in the oven for approximately 50 minutes until piping hot and golden brown.
Start eating from the savoury end, and enjoy first a lovely pork and sage pasty which slowly gets a hint of apple, through pork and apple and finally into apple and blackberry.
Two course pasties might not be all that authentic, and even if they were I'm sure this is not the method most people would have used, but they sure are fun to make and to eat so do try them!
Apple Pasties
Makes 10 - 12
Shortcrust pastry, quantity for 4 pasties (See pastry section)
1kg (2lbs) Bramley apples
100g (3½oz) golden caster sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
Knob of butter
Milk to brush
Icing sugar to dust
The standard quantity of pastry for 4 medium pasties will make around 10 - 12 mini dessert pasties, depending on how thinly you roll the pastry, and what size you make your circles.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Peel, core, and chop the apples and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the castor sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
Roll out the pastry into small circles, place the apple filling onto each along with a small knob of butter, then fold and crimp in the usual way. Crimping mini pasties can be a little fiddly, especially if you have large fingers, but take your time and they should turn out quite neat.
Make small steam holes in the top of each pasty, brush with milk, and then place on a baking tray. Bake for around 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, and then dust with icing sugar before serving.
These are delicious eaten as they are, hot or cold, but are also great with clotted cream! In the summer, you can also add a few blackberries along with the apple, or try experimenting – how about toffee apple, or maybe try cherries, or apricot, or pecans and maple syrup... the possibilities are endless!
Mince Pie Pasties
Makes 10 - 12
Shortcrust pastry, quantity for 4 pasties (See pastry section)
1 jar of mince meat
2 eating apples (such as Breaburn)
Milk to brush
Icing sugar to dust
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Peel, core, and chop the apples.
Roll out the pastry into small circles, place a little chopped apple on each round and then a spoonful of mince meat, then fold and crimp in the usual way.
Make small steam holes in the top of each pasty, brush with milk, and then place on a baking tray. Bake for around 25 - 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, and then dust with icing sugar before serving.
These are always a talking point at Christmas. No matter how bored people are of mince pies, everyone seems to love these mini Christmas pasties. Eat them cold just as they are, or warm with either clotted cream or rum butter – or both!
Appendices
1. Recommended pasty shops
I've spent a lot of time travelling around sampling pasties all over Cornwall trying to find the best ones (yeah I know, it's a tough job but someone has to do it!)
I don't claim to have tried them all, and different people have different tastes so please don't take this as gospel, but if you want to buy a good pasty here is a list of some great places to try...
The Chough Bakery, Padstow
Horse and Jockey, Porthleven
Village Butchers, Mylor Bridge
The Count House Cafe, Geevor Mine
Ann's Pasties, The Lizard
Philp's, Hayle
Be careful – Philp's bakery also sell pasties made with minced beef (just plain wrong if you ask me) so make sure you ask for steak!
Portreath Bakery, Portreath
Malcolm Barncutt's, Bodmin
Etherington's Farm Shop, Scorrier
2. Pasty Making Tips
Good food starts with good ingredients, so buy the best produce you can find and don't try to penny pinch – the results will be worth it.
Don't rush. I believe anyone can make a great pasty if they take the time to do it properly. Rush and you won't get the results you want, but with a bi
t of patience, care and attention your pasties will be 'ansome.
Don't put carrot in your Cornish pasties – ever!
Allow the pastry to rest. Don't try and roll out your pastry as soon as you've made it – let it rest in the fridge for AT LEAST 30 minutes first. You can even make it the day before to save time.
Try to keep the crimp small and neat – nobody wants to bite into a huge lump of pastry.
Experiment – unless you're setting up shop to sell Cornish pasties to PGI specifications there are no rules, so adjust the quantities to suit your palate, or experiment with different fillings and pastries.
No carrots! (seriously)
A pasty is a meal in itself, so please don't go serving them with chips and beans – 'tis blasphemy!
Season well, and remember that you'll almost always need to use more pepper than you think!
Have fun. This is really the most important thing, food should be enjoyable so don't stress. If your first attempt doesn't go quite to plan just try again, if the pastry cracks in the oven who cares – it will still taste good. Just relax, and enjoy baking your pasties as much as eating them, and if all else fails open a nice Cornish ale and sup on that while you're baking – that always helps!
And finally, just in case I forgot to say, do not ever include carrots!!!
“There is no sincerer love
than the love of food”
- George Bernard Shaw
3. Further Reading
Books
Cornish Recipes Ancient and Modern, Edith Martin (1929)
The Pasty Book, Hettie Merrick (1995)
The Cornish Pasty, Stephen Hall (2001)
The Official Encyclopedia of the Cornish Pasty, Les Merton (2003)
Pasties, Lindsay Bareham (2008)
The Little Book of the Pasty, Emma Mansfield (2011)
Online
Cornish pasty PGI specifications
(COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 on Protected Geographical Indication)
The Cornish Pasty Association
The Eden Project (home of the Cornish Pasty World Championships)
The Compleat Pastypaedia
About The Author
Billy Deakin is a videogame developer and entrepreneur, founding Kernow Web Designs in 2003. He has always had a passion for food and for cooking. He appeared on TV's Masterchef in both 2008 and 2009, and won his first Cornish Pasty World Championship title at the inaugural competition in 2012, successfully defending it in 2013. Billy has also published recipes online under the pen name Judith Stone.
Contact Billy at billy@properpasties.com
Other ebooks by Billy Deakin...
230 Incredible Cocktail Recipes
Published under Billy's pen name of Judith Stone...
Super Scone Recipes - How to Bake Scones Like A Pro!
Carrot Cake Recipes - How to Bake Carrot Cake Like A Pro!
Muffin Recipes - How to Bake Muffins Like A Pro!
Cookie Recipes - How to make cookies like a pro!
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“Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans ... are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit”
- Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential
Photo credits
Poldice mine, page 12 GFDL/Eva Kröcher
Cousin Jack's pasty shop, page 18 Flickr/Suzi Rosenberg
Top crimped pasty, page 24 Flickr/Mike_fleming
Pasty tax (Sun newspaper), page 30 Flickr/Dullhunk
Butte pasty and gravy, page 39 Rachel Boschman
Empanadas salteñas, page 40 Wiki Commons/Gorivero
Swede, page 49 Wiki Commons/Magnus Manske
Turnip, page 49 Wiki Commons/Barracuda1983
Pasty crimp, page 60 (top left) Wiki Commons/Smalljim
All other images © Billy Deakin, 2013