Megan's Perfect Pasties

[wombat]

It is so hard to get a decent pasty these days.  Some country bakers have it down pat but city bakeries leave a lot to be desired.
Mum used to make lovely pasties but spoilt them by putting dried thyme in them - far too much for us kids. My biggest problem with making pastry (even with the help of the TMX) is the rolling part - was this pastry easy to roll MJ?

I have always rolled pasty between 2 pieces of gladwrap.  It works amazingly well and so easy to transer over.  Sometimes I roll it out a little bit, but then i complete it between gladwrap (clingwrap)

[judydawn]

Thanks wombat, will give that method a try.

[maddy]

Lovely MJ...had large ones for dinner tonight 



I didn't leave myself enough time to make the pastry, so I used 7 sheets of bought puff pastry, and cut disks from a large side plate (21.5 cm).

I used 1.5 tsp black pepper (instead of 2, for the kids taste), and I chopped the veggies on speed 5 for 3 seconds.
Cooked on 200c, fan forced, for 25 minutes.  The bases were crispy, so I didn't need to transfer them to the oven racks.

Enjoyed and will make again thanks 

[judydawn]

Nice maddy - ah who cares whether the pastry is home made or not.  If you can and do, all well and good - if not, don't beat yourself up.   

[Wonder]

Tried these tonight including the pastry and a total disaster! The pastry was more like short crust and the liquid from the mixture caused the bottom to collapse before I could get them onto the oven rack. I just hope they taste ok. I thought I followed the instructions exactly but I guess not

[knittercook]

It is so hard to get a decent pasty these days.  Some country bakers have it down pat but city bakeries leave a lot to be desired.
Mum used to make lovely pasties but spoilt them by putting dried thyme in them - far too much for us kids. My biggest problem with making pastry (even with the help of the TMX) is the rolling part - was this pastry easy to roll MJ?

Isn't it ever! I love a good pasty but each time I buy one I am bitterly disappointed so will definately be giving these a try.  JD I invested in a handcrafted wooden rolling pin purchased from a local craftsman at Salamanca Market in Hobart and it has made so much difference to my pastry rolling skills.  I wish I could remember the name of the makers, I do recall they didn't have a website but are at the market every Saturday if ever you find yourself in Tassie 

[judydawn]

I also have a wooden one that was made by people at The Royal Society for the Blind here in Adelaide, the roller moves but the handles don't - is that the type you are talking about.

[knittercook]

It is solid wood.

[judydawn]

Nice one, a bit thinner than mine.  Should have got DH to make me one like that when he used to do lathe work 

[meganjane]

Tried these tonight including the pastry and a total disaster! The pastry was more like short crust and the liquid from the mixture caused the bottom to collapse before I could get them onto the oven rack. I just hope they taste ok. I thought I followed the instructions exactly but I guess not

I've made them again since, Wonder and didn't have any problem with the liquid next time. Perhaps the mince you used had water in it? I know that sometimes it does. Perhaps leave out the water next time.

The pastry is definitely like puff, not at all like shortcrust. Maybe you incorporated too much extra flour when rolling. I can't think why it wouldn't work and am sorry you didn't have any success with it. You also need to rest it before baking. Perhaps try again with bought puff pastry and see how that goes. Maddy cooked them at 200C, so that may be better.

I've made four more lots of this pastry recently - used for the tops of meat pies. It was fantastic every time.

[Wonder]

Thanks Megan. We had some for lunch yesterday and they tasted lovely except for the pastry. I've still got half in the fridge so might see if I have some time to roll it out and try cooking small pieces to test before throwing the rest away. It did taste a bit floury (not nice at all) so maybe that is the problem but I didn't think i had added a lot of flour when rolling, and had it resting in the fridge for a while before cutting the shapes.  My mince was from Woolworth's so I guess they add a lot of water during their processing. I'll try the bought pastry and no water next time.

[meganjane]

Hope it works for you!

[CreamPuff63]

My mince was from Woolworth's so I guess they add a lot of water during their processing. I'll try the bought pastry and no water next time.

Wonder, try making your own mince too. Buy some gravy beef and just pop it in the freezer for 2-3 hours so it is partially frozen, dice and mince it up

[Pam_H]

Thanks for the excellent recipes Megan, I made the pastry and used it for pasties and sausage rolls. They were a great  hit with the 3 grandkids who were here for lunch. Will definitely make them again

[trudy]

They look great Meagan - just the thing for this cold weather!!