Plan B Forum

THE world pasty champion is sharing his recipes and tips in a new book.



Billy Deakin, twice winner of the World Pasty Championships held at the Eden Project, has written a guide to preparing the county's famous dish.

How To Make An Award- Winning Cornish Pasty features his championship recipe, plus others for traditional, modern and sweet pasties.

The self-published book also includes a detailed discussion of ingredients and techniques, tips for getting a perfect crust and the all-important crimp. Described by the author as "a celebration of the pasty", the guide will also feature a detailed history.

Mr Deakin has appeared twice on the BBC's Masterchef programme and had his recipes published in magazines and newspapers.

Due to the costs involved in self-publishing, he has launched a funding campaign on Kickstarter, a 'crowdsourcing' online platform, to raise £1,200.

"Kickstarter allows me to test the water and see how much interest there is in the book, while offsetting some of the development costs," Mr Deakin wrote on his Kickstarter page.

"If I hit my funding goal, then I'll know there is interest and will be happy to invest in the printing costs to get a few thousand copies of the book printed and I can give my backers copies of the book as thanks for helping me achieve that.

"If I raise more, I can print more copies and make it even better."



Read more: http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/World-p ... z2PHAmQiJr

Pasty pastry, for four eight-inch pasties
450g 1lb strong white flour (large pinch salt optional)
100g 4oz margarine (Echo or similar hard variety)
110g 4oz lard
175ml 1/3pt water

Put the flour and salt (if used) into a bowl. Cut off a quarter of the lard and rub into flour. Grate or slice the rest of the fats into the mixture and stir with a knife. Pour all the water in and stir until absorbed. Knead a little and leave at least 30 minutes in the fridge before using.
Pastry can be made the day before, wrapped in polythene and stored in the fridge overnight. Pastry freezes well, but remember to take it out the night before you need it. Do not refreeze.


Pasty filling, quantity for one pasty
50g 2oz onion or shallot (some people like leek)
50-75g 2-3oz turnip (swede)
100g 4oz beef skirt or chuck steak
150g 6oz sliced potatoes
black pepper, salt

Keep the sliced potatoes in a basin of cold water till needed. Trim and gristle off the meat and cut it (with some fat) into 6 mm (1/4 in) pieces.

Generously flour the board or area you are using. This allows the pastry to relax as you roll, especially if you flip the pastry up from the surface every now and then. Cut off a quarter of the prepared pastry. Roll it out, keeping the shape, into a circle 21-23 cm (8-9 in) across. The pastry should now be the right thickness. Place an upturned plate over the pastry and trim round to get a good shape.

Place most of the turnip and onion across the centre of the round. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper to taste.

Place meat along the top and well into the ends; season the meat with a little salt. Top the meat with most of the potato and the remainder of the turnip.

Sprinkle again with a little salt, and add the remaining potato. Do not season the top layer: salt directly in contact with pastry can make it taste slightly bitter.

Dampen one side of the pastry with a little water. If you dampen the pastry all round or use too much water you will find the edges slide instead of sealing, so don’t slosh it on.
Fold the damp side of the pastry to the other and press firmly but gently together, so that you have a seam down across the pastry, or by the side, whichever you find easier. From the right side if you are right-handed (or the left if you are left-handed) fold over the corner and crimp by folding the pastry seam over and over to the end. Tuck in the end well to seal. Alternatively, if you find this difficult, just curl the edge like a wave.

Make a small slit in the top with a knife and patch any other breaks or holes with a little dampened rolled-out pastry.

Brush the pasties with milk or egg wash or even just water and place them on buttered paper or a greased and floured tray, leaving 5 cm (2 in) between them.

Bake in a hot oven 220C (425F, gas 7) for 20 to 30 minutes. Check the pasties. If brown, turn them down to 160C (325F, gas 3). Bake for another 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave them in the oven for another 15 minutes with the door shut.

Remove from the oven and with a slice lift the pasty onto a plate. Cut in half, allowing some of the steam to escape.

If you are eating them picnic style, place the pasties onto a cooling tray and wait 15 minutes before eating. If you want to eat them an hour or so later, or are taking them on a journey, wrap them straight from the oven in paper and then a clean cloth. Pasties keep extremely hot for a long time and if well wrapped a pasty made in Helston would still be ‘hot’ when you reached Exeter. I’ve even been told by holiday-makers that their pasties were still reasonably warm when they reached London.

http://www.annspasties.co.uk/cornish/pasty-recipe/