Sunday, July 20, 2014

The Cornish Pasty Company

The Cornish Pasty Company has a location in Scottsdale on Goldwater Blvd. The owner, Dean Thomas grew up in Cornwall in Southwest England and ate many pasties.

I had lunch there today and absolutely loved it! There were so many varieties to choose from....... I chose a Veggie Rosemary Chicken that had chicken, roasted red potatoes, brie, roasted red peppers and fresh rosemary served with a side of mustard cream sauce.

On the menu it gave the history of the Cornish pasty:

"The Cornish Pasty originates from Cornwall (Southwest England) and can be traced back as far as the 1200′s. Mining was once a thriving industry in Cornwall and at that time pasties were baked by the wives and mothers of the tine miners. Pasties were made with a thick crimped edge along one side so the miners could use the crimp as a handle to hold on to while eating. The miners hand would often be covered in arsenic from the mine, so the miners would discard the handle when they were done. The crusts were never wasted though, as many miners believed that ghosts, or ‘knockers’, inhabited the mines, and the leftover crusts would keep these ghosts content. Traditionally, pasties were made with different fillings at each end. One end containing meat and vegetables, and one end with a sweet filling. The sweet end would be marked with an initial so the miners knew what side to eat first. Today, Cornish pasties are filled with steak, potatoes, swede (rutabaga) and onions. At one time Cornwall had nearly 2000 flourishing tin mines, but by the 1880′s tin mining had become a rapidly declining industry. At this time, Cornish miners began emigrating to Michigan’s Upper Peninsular for copper mining bringing pasties with them."

I highly recommend this eatery!



Sunday, July 6, 2014

Flagstaff

Flagstaff is a town located in northern Arizona at an elevations of 7000 feet. The town is situated in the largest Ponderosa pine forest in the world and we wanted to spend a couple of days in the cool mountain air!
Flagstaff's early economy was based on the lumber, railroad and ranching industries. The town also has a strong tourism sector due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon and the fact that is sits on historic Route 66.
On the morning of July 4th, we headed to the historic downtown area where we watched the 4th of July parade and wandered the "Art in the Park" craft show.
What a wonderful break from the heat in Phoenix!!