Tear & share pasty

beef centrepiece cornish pasty food for friends freezable party recipe pasty picnic recipe spring to share

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Ingredients

500g strong white bread flour

100g lard , chilled and chopped

140g butter , chilled and chopped

1 egg , beaten

350g beef skirt , cut into small cubes

300g waxy potatoes such as Charlottes, chopped into small pieces

175g swede , chopped into small pieces

1 onion , chopped

seasonal leaf , such as spinach, baby kale and radicchio, and a mustardy dressing (optional)

Method

First, make the pastry. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the lard and butter. Rub the ingredients together, then mix in 1 tsp salt. Make a well in the centre and stir in 175ml cold water. Knead just enough to bring the pastry together into a smooth ball, then wrap in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30 mins-1 hr. Can be done the night before.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Put all the ingredients in another bowl along with 1 tsp ground black pepper and 1 1 /2 tsp salt. Stir well to combine and distribute the seasoning evenly.

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Split the pastry in half and roll each piece into very large circles (approx 40cm diameter). Place one of the pastry circles on the tray.

Pile a generous handful of the filling into the centre of the pastry, then create seven slightly smaller mounds of filling, spaced evenly around the centre like petals – make sure they don’t touch. Brush a little water onto the pastry gaps around each petal and the centre, then carefully drape the other pastry circle over the top. Starting in the middle, gently press the pastry down to seal in the sections – imagine it’s a giant, flower-shaped ravioli.

Using a sharp knife, separate the petals by cutting triangular slivers out of the pastry leaving a 1-2cm pastry border around each petal. Reserve the pastry you cut away and roll out into two ropes. Twist them together and place around the edge of the centre of the flower.

Using your fingertips and starting at one edge of one of the petals, crimp the pastry. Do this all the way around each of the petals to create the classic Cornish pasty-style crimp.

Brush the whole pasty flower with beaten egg and put in the oven for 1 hr 15 mins-1 hr 20 mins or until it is golden brown and the pastry is cooked through underneath.

Allow to cool for about 5 mins, then serve on the baking parchment or carefully slide onto a serving platter. To eat, simply pull off or slice the individual pasties, then chop up the central pasty. Serve with salad leaves and a mustardy dressing, if you like.