Gran’s Traditional Cornish Pasty Tart
Gran’s pasty tart was something I looked forward to every Friday evening when I was young. It’s basically a traditional Cornish pasty but in tart form. Simply take an old enamel deep pie dish, line it with lard pastry, fill and top your tart and then bake it. Gran always called it a pasty tart, but I gather from asking around other Cornish folk that most call it a pasty pie. It’s just swede, potato, onion and really good skirt steak. ’Ansum!
The pictured tart was made using wholemeal lard shortcrust pastry.
Makes 2; serves 4-6 each.
Ingredients 8
1 quantity Lard Shortcrust Pastry, see my lard shortcrust pastry recipe
400 g onions
280 g swedes (rutabagas)
280 g potatoes
800 g beef skirt
20 g flaky sea salt
1 tsp white pepper
egg wash, see my egg wash recipe
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Method 9
Put the on a lightly floured kitchen bench and divide it into two equal pieces. Roll out into two rectangles roughly measuring 30 × 60 cm (12 × 23½ in). Roll one 2 mm (1/16 in) thick and the other 3 mm (1/8 in) thick, then cut two 30 cm (12 in) discs from each. The thinner pastry is for the tart bases and the thicker one is for the tops.
Put the pastry discs on a tray, layering a piece of baking paper between each one. Add the two pastry tops to the tray first, then the two bases last. Put in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.
Grease two 26 cm (10 1/4 in) round, 5 cm (2 in) deep pie dishes. Gently lay the bases over the dishes, then use your thumb to firmly press the pastry into the corners. Rest again in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Peel and chop the , and into randomly shaped pieces, roughly 1.5–2 cm (½–¾ in) in size. Cut the into 1 cm (½ in) dice.
Combine the vegetables and in a large bowl. Add the and and mix well. Divide the mixture between the two pie dishes – about 850 g (1 lb 14 oz) each. Lightly brush the rims with egg wash, then lay the pastry tops over the filling so the edges meet.
Press the edges together to seal, pushing out any air as you do this. Crimp or pinch around the edge with your thumb and forefinger, using both hands. Brush all over the top with egg wash, then use a knife to poke a couple of holes in the top to allow the steam to vent while baking.
Return the pasty tarts to the fridge to rest while you preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 160°C (320°F). Bake for a further 60–70 minutes, turning the tarts halfway through, until the pastry turns a lovely golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to rest for at least 10 minutes before eating.
Urbanstead's tips
If you only want to bake one tart, the other will keep in the fridge for 2–3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
