A savoury weekend treat and a sweet surprise

On my shopping list this weekend was a Pink Lady apple, which I hoped I'd be able to buy loose – wrong – I needed a large one for my treat to myself - beetroot relish and finished up buying four.

I'd also bought Pink Lady fruit juice for a change – not realising how handy it would be.

Here's what happened to the three I had left :

Baked Apples with sultanas and

optional sticky toffee sauce

ahead of the game take two handfuls of

sultanas – place in a box with a tight fitting

lid. Add 150ml of Pink Lady fruit juice,

fridge and steep overnight

Grease a dish that measures 25x17x5cms (10x7x2”)

with 1 tsp of unsalted butter

2 tbsp of soft dark brown sugar

½ tsp of vanilla bean paste

1 tsp of cinnamon – mix all three

ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl

3 Pink Lady apples – peeled, cored and

sliced and add to the sugar, paste and cinnamon

in the bowl together, add 1 tbsp of Pink Lady apple

juice from the steeping - mix well to combine then tip into your

greased dish

Bake for 30 minutes in a pre-heated oven 150fan/170c/Gas 3

turn after 15 minutes and set aside to cool, then cover.

Note : you want the apples to keep their shape, not turn

into mush

Next up – assembly and photo guide

Pasty gate – the verdicts

Margaret reported in as promised – short and to the point … “delicious – again please!” I'll take that, thank you!

Then I had a light bulb moment! In these troubled times I've heard, already, that Christmas celebrations are hanging in the balance. There's also the question of gifts. Off the cuff I asked Margaret what she thought about making a list of her favourite food treats I could give her for Christmas – that went down very well.

I suspect the list already includes, apart from a pasty or two (note to self, halved and easy therefore to freeze and take a portion when the mood takes) lemon drizzle syrup, cheese scones – I could go on, the final choices coming soon!

News just in and a direct quote from my other tester friends - “we saved the precious cargo until today ...”.

“... really loved it, especially the pastry – recipes by email please! I'll try it and let you know how I go.”

I should explain that my friend lives in the USA and is a student too – a very good one – the recipes will be winging their way across the sea to North Carolina. I've taken the liberty of saving him time and sourced a supplier for lard and a veggie shortening alternative in the US – his favourite place to shop – Walmart. I should have known!

If you have spare apples in your fruit bowl …

Pasty gate – vindication!

I appreciate it means work at home in your own kitchen and you might think it defeats the object of a “takeaway” but it's worth it. I'll gladly pay for quality but I hate the anticipation of a treat and being disappointed. More irritatingly these pasties do not contain expensive ingredients.

Despite the fact that I'm recommending making your own pasties you can make it work for you – you can make the pastry on a day when you've time and ditto with the filling, then fridge and use or freeze.

I'm not comfortable criticising M&S but it was such poor quality it had to be done. It shouldn't matter whether it's a humble pasty or a fillet de boeuf en croute – each should be given the same care and attention.

I can only assume that either the test kitchens and/or the quality control departments weren't up to scratch on that day.

Rocket science it ain't!

Then there's the verdict … my elderly friend Margaret visits for coffee once a week – distanced I might add and I gave her a lunch treat taken from my freezer – half a pasty, which, once defrosted in the fridge would be ready to warm so a takeaway treat for her. I unwrapped the pasty parcel to show her and explain warming. I have to say this bodes well – on unwrapping and therefore cold the savoury waft of the pasty made our mouths water. Hold that thought.

It's important to get a tester's opinion. I loved these pasties but that doesn't mean a whole lot – I need to know I'm not on my own.

I then gave a whole pasty to two friends for their lunch treat. This will definitely be the ultimate test – one of my friends is a Northern boy and takes his cheese and onion pasties very seriously so his opinion counts all the more.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed – that's two thoughts to “hold”!

Pasty gate – photo guide

To sum up, this is a Greggs style filling encased in a Cornish pasty pastry but with a thinner crimped crust.

Have a look at the results :

These are large pasties – they measure 22cms/8½” x 12cms/4½” over the middle. Cut in half or leave whole if you're feeding hungry hoards or have a very large appetite!

The bonus – you can make a batch of the pastry, divide, weigh and wrap and treat the filling in the same way. I took my own advice and made two pasties and popped the remaining portioned pastry and filling into the freezer, ready for when I needed a comfort food fix.

I should also say that authentic Cornish pasties are cooked with raw ingredients – I've “borrowed” the pastry, used my own filling and am very pleased that I did!

A small tip - pasties will keep warm for a long time - wrap them straight from the oven in either greaseproof or baking paper and then a clean tea towel. It does work and the pasty will stay warm – it definitely saves burning your mouth when you're itching to devour.

Next – vindication!

Pasty gate – assembly and crimpinology

If you'd like to create a perfect circle of pastry the simplest way is to use a 20cm cake tin upside down, on top of your rolled out portion of pastry, using a round bladed knife trim off any excess and there you have it.

Edge your circle of pastry with the egg wash then place your filling in the middle of the circle. Here's where a cool filling comes into its own – you are able to mould it to suit the size of the pastry then fold to glue the edges and bring together. Press down the edges, giving yourself enough pastry edge to crimp – as a guide 1.5cms/½” approximately.

If you'd like to see how this is done have a look at the Crimpinology link which will give you a photo guide. You don't have to give yourself a hard time – it's not compulsory to crimp, edge the pasty with a small fork as an alternative option.

Place your past(ies) on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Bake in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 30 minutes.

Here's the story so far :

the pasty, crimped before the egg wash

the pasty, after the egg wash, ready for

the oven

Stand by for photos of the finished product!

Pasty gate – hints and tips

It may seem a bit of a faff but I'd recommend weighing both your pastry and your filling, you don't have to be obsessive about it – an “ish” will do.

As a guide you'll have 1lb 13oz or 840g of pastry – divide into four weighing approximately 7oz ish/210g each. Place each portion on a sheet of cling film, gather and wrap, moulding into a ball shape. Bag all four and fridge.

Treat your filling in the same way. It's much easier to deal with the filling when it has cooled – it won't interfere with your pastry and you won't scald your hands! You should have 1.346g of filling, divide into four portions of 11½oz ish/ 336g each, cling film and mould in the same way as the pastry.

Here's a couple of photos :

By weighing, wrapping and moulding your pasties are of a similar size so no arguments!

Now for assembly and crimping.

Pasty gate … the filling

Cheese, potato and onion pie filling

gives generous filling enough

for four large pasties

700g of Maris Piper (or similar variety)

potatoes, boiled and then mashed

2 medium onions, finely diced and

sautéed with a knob of unsalted butter and

a drop of rapeseed oil until softened – 5 minutes

2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

150g of Mature Cheddar cheese, grated

75g each of Red Leicester and Gruyere cheese, grated

Black pepper

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Baking sheet, lined with baking parchment

Boil the potatoes until cooked – test by using a paring knife which will pass through easily. Drain and then mash roughly, add the Mature Cheddar cheese, mustard and black pepper. Add the sautéed onion and remaining grated cheese, mix well. Set aside to cool.

The advantage of using a rough mash and adding the cheddar cheese before the onion and remaining cheeses gives you a stiff filling and one that is easy to control which is essential when assembling and completing your pasty. You are able to mould the filling easily – it remains firm and doesn't spill all over your worktop.

Just in case you might be tempted – do not add any “liquid” i.e. milk or an egg – to the mash, it needs to be firm, adding liquid will turn your filling into mush!

Be patient, it's important to let the filling cool completely, you'll be pleased with the result.

Next up – hints and tips for the pastry and the filling.