The Cornish Pasty |
There is a lot talked about pasties and their crimping - a good movie can be found on Making Cornish pasties - on YouTube, video no. 2.
Having said that, I thought I would try making my own movie - the result can be seen HERE (or click on the photograph below). This is a 1.9 MB file that plays for 1:41 minutes and may take something like 15-20 seconds to download, with a following wind. The movie can be made to fill the screen depending on the media player on your computer.
The pasty before baking.
Click on the image above to see the movie about crimping.
This is the pasty after baking, it was glazed with a milk wash
after crimping, this is not mentioned in the movie.
The movie contains mention of the "pasty" thumb:
 My pasty thumb |
 My wife's pasty thumb So, how come she doesn't make the pasties?! |
Pasty thumbs
It used to be said that a Cornishman should always try to find a wife with a good pasty thumb. This meant a thumb that was recurved at the last digit and with a flat fleshy area that is suited best for crimping pasties! Apparently, a plump and rounded fleshy end to the thumb is not so good .....
It is also said that some people just can't make a good pastry because their hands are too hot or too cold. All I can say is that there is nothing wrong with my pastry, in fact, my wife says its very good!
The crimping of a pasty is an aid to further sealing it against leakage during baking. The initial seal is made by wetting the two edges of the folded-over pastry with water or milk and pressing them together. The pressing of the individual curls of the crimp with the thumb is a further aid to sealing it.
The crust on pasties was to make a fairly large "handle" that tin-miners and farm workers could hold their pasty by when their hands were dirty so as not eat any of the dirt. In a tin mine, the dirt could contain tin, copper and arsenic dust which are all poisonous. The shape of the Cornish pasty is defined by the Cornish Pasty Association as a D-shape with the crust along the edge of the pasty.
Again, The Cornish Pasty brings you the facts .....
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