History of Cornish Pasties

Grass Valley’s Empire Mine was home to some of the oldest, deepest and richest gold mines in California. During the 1800s, hundreds of Cornish Miners, nicknamed Cousin Jacks, flocked to the gold mines of the Sierra Nevada. In Grass Valley, some reports show the Cornish population to be as high as 85 percent in 1890.

Men in search of fortune at the Empire Mine, circa 1900. This is a photograph taken at the end of a long shift. Many of these miners are Cornishmen, nicknamed “Cousin Jacks.” Pasties were a regular mealtime fare: meat and veggies wrapped in pastry dough and baked. Photo credit: @visitgrassvalley

Down into the subterranean mines, miners carried their midday meal in metal lunch pails – usually coffee or tea and a humble, handheld pie filled with meat and potatoes called a “pasty.”

Pasties are the quintessential food of Cornwall, a region in southwest England that has mined tin and other metals since the Bronze Age.

An easily transportable food, folk history suggests miners held onto the crust of the pasty and tossed the ends into the tunnels to avoid consuming arsenic dust that may have accumulated on their hands.

Those mining days are long gone, but locals still love a good pasty.

A view of the stone cottage located at Empire Mine State Historic Park which was home to the richest gold mines in California.

At BriarPatch, the legacy continues. We serve up to 12 different varieties throughout the year, both for meat lovers and vegetarians, loaded with organic ingredients. For St. Patrick’s Day, a green pasty naturally dyed with spinach juice and stuffed with Cornish brisket and veggies is a seasonal favorite.

Fruit-filled dessert hand pies sweetened with fruit are a treat for all ages. Here’s a recipe from our Deli crew, retooled for home cooks.

Apple Hand Pie

Makes 12 hand pies

Make the Dough

3 ¾ lb all-purpose flour

2 ½ lb butter (cold, cut into a ¼ inch dice)

2 ½ cup (enough to start to bring the dough together)

4 Tbsp cane sugar

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp sea salt

Place flour, butter, sugar and salt in mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until butter is the size of large peas.

Add water with mixer running. Mix until dough starts to come together. Do not overmix — it should still be slightly crumbly but hold together when pressed. Divide into 12 equal portions.

For Filling

3 lb Granny Smith apples

¼ cup cane sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup apple juice or cider

2 Tbsp potato starch, or corn starch

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp lemon juice

Peel and dice apples in ¼-inch cubes. Stir together apple juice and starch and set aside until needed.

In a large pot, cook apples until they begin to soften. Add sugars, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice. Cook until released juices are reduced to a syrup. Stir to recombine, adding apple juice and starch slurry. Bring to a boil and cook until juices thicken. Taste and adjust sugar, if necessary. Cool.

Build Your Hand Pie

Topping Ingredients:

¾ cup heavy cream

¼ cup cane sugar

Roll dough out until 1/8-inch thick. Scoop 2 oz of filling into the center of the disk. Fold over and press edges together and crimp with a fork to seal. Score the top with a knife to create vents.

Freeze until ready to bake, or brush with cream and sprinkle with a healthy amount of sugar.

Bake at 325º for about 20-30 min, or until golden brown and baked on the bottom. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and dusted with cinnamon and sugar. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Members of the BriarPatch team enjoy house-made pasties.