Yield: 4 Servings

Adapted from Food Wishes

This Cornish pasty is one of those rare recipes that novice cooks will find easier to make than experienced bakers. That’s because to make this to its original, and very sturdy specifications, you’re forced to over-mix the dough…a cardinal sin that literally gives pie makers nightmares.
Like any pastry dough, we’re just adding just enough ice water to bring everything together, but unlike classic pie dough, we’re going to knead the mixture for a couple minutes past that point. Thanks to a little thing called muscle memory, this is not going to be easy for some of you.
Get over it; because once you taste and feel the final product, it will all make sense. The tougher, but not tough dough is the perfect delivery system for the meaty filling. Speaking of which, I went with a fairly traditional version, and provided the recipe below, but this great crust will work with all sorts of stuffing’s.
You could use cooked meat in these, but part of what makes them so good, is how the raw ingredients cook in their own juices, while encased in the tasty dough. I can’t imagine many things that wouldn’t be great in these.

Dough

• 4cups bread flour
• 2oz (4 TBS) cold butter
• 3oz (6 TBS) cold lard
• 1½tsp salt
• ⅔-¾cup ice water, or enough to just bring dough together (start with about 1/2 cup, and then drizzle in more as needed)

For the steak filling:

• 12oz cubed beef skirt steak
• ½cup diced onions
• 1cup diced gold potatoes
• ⅓cup diced turnip or carrot
  
• 1½tsp salt
• 1tsp freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of cayenne
• 2TBS butter, cut into 8 thin slices

For the egg wash:

• 1large egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

Dough: Add flour and salt, butter and lard into food processor and pulse to cut butter to pea size pieces. Add ice water and pulse until it comes together.

Dump on work surface and hand knead for a couple of minutes until it makes a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic and chill a few hours.

Filling: Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix all filling ingredients in a medium bowl.

Pasty: Cut dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll out until about 8 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Coat with egg wash over entire surface.

Add one quarter of filling to each piece of dough, off-center and top with a couple of thin pieces of butter.

Fold over the door, press all around the edge. Trim excess dough. Crimp with fork.

Poke fork into top to make steam hole. Paint with more egg wash to coat.

Bake pasties at 350°F for about an hour or until browned and bubbly.

Cool for 15 minutes, serve.