Day 3 of the King Arthur British Baking Classics class was another winner.
On day 3 we made:
- Cornish Pasties {a hand pie filled with beef, potato, onion and rutabaga}.
- Scottish Meat Pies {a hot water crust filled with hamburger, gravy, worcester sauce and salt and pepper}
- Currant Scones
Out of all the things we made on day 3, I was most excited about the Scottish meat pies because I had never made a hot water crust dough before.
The dough recipe we used for the Cornish pasties was spot on. Sturdy, flaky and easy to hold in your hand.
The spices for the filling however were a little lacking as all that was added was salt and pepper. They also could have used a bit of moisture in them, so when I try to recreate these at home, I’ll be adding a bit more flavor to the pasties.
The pasties we cooked up in class turned out really well.
And as a reference, here’s a look at a steak pasty The Girl and I bought in Cornwall {Port Isaac} last September.
And what it looked like inside. So the ones we made in class were very, very close to the real deal.
After the Cornish pasties, we moved on to the Scottish meat pies. The filling for the Scottish meat pies was a mixture of ground beef, mace, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, gravy and Worcestershire sauce.
The hot water crust {which is basically flour, water, lard and salt} was not only easy to make, but fun to make as well.
After rolling out the bottoms, we set them in English muffin rings before filling and adding the top layer of dough.
After the tops were crimped, we removed the rings and set them on baking trays and then they were baked in the big oven.
These baked up beautifully as well.
After the meat pies it was on to the currant scones.
These too turned out really well. The only thing I would have done differently was to soak the dried currants in hot water for 5 minutes before tossing them into the baking mix.
All in all I’d say we had a pretty good time at the King Arthur Baking School. Everyone went home with a carload of baked goods, which means I get the weekend off from cooking. Hooray!
~Mavis
P.S. The other day Cindy asked if I was going to share any of the recipes, and the answer is yes… As soon as I tweak the ones that need tweaking and can bake them at home in my own oven. 😉
Diana says
OMG I love pasties! I’m from MI and there was this one shop called Fox’s Pasties that made the BEST. Potato, onion and steak. When I was in college, I would come home for the weekend and buy a bunch and freeze them to take back. It’s been MANY years since I’ve had one.
Looking forward to the recipes. YUM!
Sarah says
My neighbor was at that class! I have not had a chance to ask her what she thought. I am hoping to take a croissant class in the fall.
Jill A says
I’m from Michigan. If you visit the UP, pasties are a staple up there. They are served with optional gravy over the top which is how we prefer to eat them. We do have a pasties shop in town and like to pick them up. They also offer them frozen to bake later.
KTaylor says
I’m in the UP and agree with Jill. We top ours with brown gravy or sometimes even ketchup!
Dianne says
Would that be Barb’s Pasties – best in the Metro Area. They are sooooo good! I miss them, not in MI anymore.
Connie says
I loved seeing contestants on Great British baking show make these. They made it look easy. I had never heard of hot water crust before that show. I think I could eat nearly anything enveloped in pastry.
Pasties seem much more appealing than a sandwich.
Susan says
It’s nice to hear that all was correctly baked on the second and third days. That first day had me worried about their classes.
I am very interested in the Scottish meat pie recipe. Do you think it would work using ground lamb in stead of beef?
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. 🙂
Lindsey says
We lived in Scotland. Nearly every meat pie we bought used lamb. (Actually, usually mutton, since the lamb was reserved for finer meals where the strong taste could not be neutralized a bit by the other ingredients.)
Bonnie says
Thank you for showing your experiences with these classes!! Would Love to see your recipes when you do them! Would be great to make these pastries on my Saturdays off to freeze for later. It makes life so much easier to do “Do-ahead” meals.
Patti Vanderbloemen says
Yum to all 3! I look forward to your recipe reveals, as I would like try all of them!
You are so blessed to be making these memories with your daughter!
Glad you both had a good time!
Kathy Wolfe says
Thank you for all the wonderful pictures. Looking
Forward to the recipes. I am pastry challenged but am looking forward to trying these.
Pj Truman says
Soak the currents in alcohol, wine, whisky, rum, etc. they’ll be delicious in the scones.
KC says
If you add veggies, the filling will be more moist, *but* you have to be careful as to how moist, since interior moisture can make the crust soggy. Adding some egg or a bit of gravy is another option. May you have many delicious experiments!
Mary says
My grandmother made Cornish pasties and we all follow her recipe. The only difference between the ones you made and her recipe is towards the end of baking, she made a little hole in the top crust and added a small amount of beef gravy through the top hole. Salt and pepper are the only seasonings.
sandyf says
This is wonderful! Congrats on your baking success and I cannot wait for the recipes.
It is a good -albeit wet day in CA.
But the letter carrier delivered my Fair Isle knit hat kit from the Jamieson & Smith!! So a great day here.
Cheers!
Linda Sand says
According to what I’ve read, the original Cornish pasties had large edges so miners could hold them by the edges with dirty hands to eat the middles and throw away the now dirty crust. I thought that was interesting.
Sue S. says
That must have been a blast. Your finished products look soooo tasty.
Kristy says
Here are some recipes that were from my great grandma’s recipes. She was born in 1901 and bothof her parents were bornin 1858 Cornwall. Sounds like the pasties haven’t changed much. The cooking instructions on these are very vague to non existent.
Mother’s Fruit Cake (from Kate)
note: this was taken from great grandma Bessie’s cookbook/recipes, etc. – Kate was her sister and this recipe was their mother’s
1 pound Brown Sugar
1 1/2 C. Butter or Margarine
1 Big Cup of Sour Milk
1 tsp. each of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, and Ginger
6 Eggs
1 tsp. Soda disolved in warm water
1/2 pound each Citron, Lemon Peel, and Figs
1 pound Raisins
1 pound Currents
1/2 pound Nuts
Add Flour, enough to make a thick batter.
Bake in loaf tins for almost an hour
note that was at the bottom of this recipe said,” This is a good fruit cake”
Safferon Cake
note: this also came from great grandma Bessie’s recipes…. At the top it said Aunt Jennys recipe- I’m still not sure who Aunt Jenny was… also, I have not checked spelling and copied ingredients as they were in the original
1 oz. safferon steeped overnight in boiling water
In the morning add yeast in warm water, and 1 cup sugar, 1 cup lard, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup currants, 1/2 cup candied fruit, 1/2 cup nuts
Use a little flour to dredge fruit.
2 quarts Flour
2 Tbsp. Salt
Add lemon flavoring
(There were no baking instructions, etc. and some directions are vague)
Pasties
one of great grandma’s recipes
Layer in order following meat description
2 flank steaks cubed
2 pork steaks cubed
Layer of sliced potatoes
onions diced
salt & pepper
meat from above
sliver suet over top (if you can’t find it you can ask at the butcher’s counter to see if they have any)
add water to filling before closing crust
poke holes, triagles on each side
Cook till done- takes hours for potatoes to be done
note: put in crust … crust actually surrounds ingredients (like a hot pocket) or can make like a pie (not traditional)
Brianna says
I have made toms of pasties as they are a family staple and many of our visitors request them for dinner when they come. Salt and pepper are the only seasoning and onions and potatoes are the only vegetables. The moisture comes from a very small amount of butter set atop the filling before the crust is pulled over and sealed. The cut of meat makes a huge difference too and using a lean cut of steak will make them dry. I always look for a ribeye or similar cut that has nice marbling and make sure to cut any silver skin and overly thick fat areas off. I do serve mine with a beef gravy poured over the top.
LaToya says
Glad to hear days 2 and 3 were better than day 1. I wonder if the oven temps were off that day or something? Either way, better to get the bad day knocked out in the beginning instead of having great days and then the downer. This is really cool though – think I’ll look into a baking class of some sort ….
Wendy C. says
I want the recipe for the pasties!! I had one once and it was so, so good and wish I knew the secret.