A Cooking Challenge

I married a British man. One of his most endearing qualities is that he is a most grateful recipient of my cooking. He likes almost everything that I cook, and when we have a misfire, he is forgiving and willing to experiment. I have asked him many times if there were any favorites from his childhood that he would like me to try to recreate. Up until now he has not requested anything. Then, the other day I got an e-mail titled “please make these”.
First Cornish Fairing Biscuits
They are also called Ginger Fairing Biscuits, and that translates into “Ginger Snaps”. We have tried all kinds of ginger snaps from the store. So I will be interested to see how these compare.

And then Cornish Pasties
This recipe is offered in grams, so I will have to use the food scale and start converting. If the recipe works well, then I will be able to go with Cups and tablespoons if I make it again. It seems like a lot of work for a “hot pocket”. But I’ll give it a go.

Have you cooked these British classics before? Any words of wisdom? Stay tuned for the outcomes.

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9 years ago by in Cooking | You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
6 Comments to A Cooking Challenge
    • Jenny K
    • We make a version of pasties in our house. My grandfather in N. Minnesota worked on the railroad – long ago. He was Welsh. They would take them in their lunch. My mom used to make the crust but now we use pre-made crusts. I put beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and butter in them. They are served with ketchup or Sriracha in Andy’s case. Nothing special. Good luck.

    • Kat
    • I do my own version of pasties (or handpies as some places call them here) too. I use a pre-made crust because I’m lazy. I fill them with beef stew, a chicken pot pie filling (with low gravy) and even a spanakopita mixture. I like to cook and freeze them for quick meals.

    • Ros
    • With the pasties, I would use a shortcrust pastry recipe that you already know in cups/spoons rather than try to convert the grams. And then for the filling, the quantities don’t have to be very precise. Do cut the vegetables and meat quite small, and season everything well. But the main thing to get right with the pasty is turning the ends so that the whole thing is well-sealed and looks nice. This is what you’re aiming for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PutVw_SbKV0

    • Ros
    • For the fairings, the thing you might struggle to find is the golden syrup. This is not the same as corn syrup or any other kind of syrup commonly available in the US. I only ever found golden syrup in imported British food stores, or sections of stores. You could try the recipe with a substitute but it won’t have the same texture. The golden syrup is VERY sticky – a bit like molasses, but with a different flavour. The easiest way to use it is to dip a metal spoon in hot water before taking a spoonful, so that the syrup melts slightly and slides off into the mixture. Or you might get lucky and find it in a squeezy bottle. Here’s what you’re looking for: http://www.lylesgoldensyrup.com/

      • Kat
      • I’ve found golden syrup in the US at World Market & grocery stores with good import sections. You are Ros it is very different than the syrups we get here.

    • Teresa
    • I haven’t made either of these, but just looking at the recipes made me remember how good they are. I lived in England for just two years thirty years ago and never agreed that the British food was not good. I thought so many things I tried were great! Can’t wait to try both!

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