Directions
Preliminaries
Thaw one half of the package of frozen pastry.
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Wash and pick over the currants to remove any bits of stalk.
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Melt the butter in a small saucepan, being careful not to let it scorch.
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Rinse the spearmint, and chop it finely. Discard any longer bits of stalk.
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Making the Filling
In a bowl, mix together the currants, chopped spearmint, melted butter, sugar, and lemon
juice.
Assembly
Roll out the pastry on a clean flat surface (such as a kitchen counter) that has been dusted
with flour. Using a sharp knife, with a saucer as a guide, cut the pastry
into circles. Put part of the filling on each circle, being careful to put it in the
center of the circle, and nowhere near the edges.
Brush the edges lightly with beaten egg to help them adhere, and
then turn one half of the pastry over on top of the filling. (NOTE: water is
no good for this purpose, since puff pastry has a high fat content.)
Press the edges of the pastry firmly togther.   Then turn the
rim back over on itself, and crimp it up and down between two of your fingers, using your
thumb, the same way you would crimp around the rim of a pie.
Brush the rest of the beaten egg over the top of each of the
pasties to glaze them.
Jab the point of a knife through the pastry in the centre of
each of the pasties. Don't jab too deeply: you just want to pierce the pastry.
This is to let the steam out as the pasty bakes.
Baking
Bake at 400°F for at twenty minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot.
Makes six to eight pasties.
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