These delectable flaky pastries from can be found at street vendors and restaurants in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean, but they’re fun to make at home as a crowd-pleasing snack or appetizer. This version comes from Shani Jones of Peaches Patties in San Francisco, named in honor of her mother’s signature recipe. Adding turmeric to the dough gives it its distinctive yellow color. Let the patties sit for a while after baking for maximum flavor, and serve them with hot sauce (Jones suggests the classic: Pickapeppa) alongside. This recipe is one of our favorites from We Are La Cocina: Recipes in Pursuit of the American Dream, our BA Cookbook Club January 2020 pick.
Reprinted from We Are La Cocina by Leticia Landa and Caleb Zigas with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019.
Ingredients
Makes 18
Dough
3
2
1
1
1
1
Filling and Assembly
2
1
1
1
6
1
1½
½
2
4
1
1
Special Equipment
Preparation
Dough
Step 1
Pulse flour, salt, and turmeric in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly and pieces of butter are evenly distributed.
Step 2
Whisk egg, vinegar, and ¾ cup ice-cold water in a small bowl to combine. Add to flour mixture and pulse until a smooth ball of dough forms. Wrap dough and chill until cold, about 1 hour.
Filling and Assembly
Step 3
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium until hot. Cook beef, breaking up into pieces, until nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon, leaving fat behind. Add onion, chile, and garlic to pan and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.
Step 4
Add allspice, pepper, and paprika. Stir to combine, reduce heat to low, and return beef to pan. Add stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until about half of the liquid has evaporated, 5–8 minutes. Season with salt and remove from heat. Add scallions and thyme. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let cool slightly.
Step 5
Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 375°. Lightly flour a rolling pin. Cut dough in half on a lightly floured work surface. Working with one half at a time, roll dough to ⅛" thick. Cut dough with 5" round pastry cutter. Place 2 Tbsp. meat filling on one-half of each round, leaving a ½" border. Brush edges of dough with water. Fold dough over filling to make a half-moon shape. Press edges with the tines of a fork to seal. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling, rerolling scraps as needed. Transfer patties to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 6
Whisk egg and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to combine. Brush top of each patty with egg wash.
Step 7
Bake patties until golden brown and cooked through, 20–25 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Step 8
Do Ahead: Patties can be baked up to 5 days ahead. Cover and chill, or freeze up to 1 month. Reheat in a 375° oven.
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Reviews (31)
Back to TopBoneappetit website is terrible, hardly can read anything, page is covered its forcing to subscibe.
Anonymous
can't make the recipe as can't see it
8/17/2022
This was a really great recipe! Also this is the first time I’ve made pastry encrusted meat pie always found the idea quite intimidating. I cooked the filling one day and made the pastry the next to take some of the anxiety out of it. I looked at the comments and followed some of the suggestions and also from the patties I’ve previously enjoyed. I agree with the commentor that the pre-fried ground beef would be a bit crumbly and not traditional even with the gravy the texture would be wrong it’s more like paste style ground beef that’s boiled. So I cooked the onions to soft, added the spices to toast then added stock (1 cup as suggested in comments )then the Beef, and cooked it down to a thick gravy. Also I used 1 tablespoon of Scotch bonnet pepper sauce (the brand Grace from Jamaica) as I couldn’t find fresh scotch bonnets I got 10 large patties out of this recipe and they were awesome! They will be part of our regular rotation, just fantastic! This is a great recipe to try meat type pies!
Anonymous
VANCOUVER Canada
3/23/2021
Absolutely thought these were delicious! Will make again!
Anonymous
9/4/2020
So I've been eyeing this recipe for awhile, and finally made it last night! It was a lot easier than I expected. I don't have a food processor so I made the dough by hand. When rolling it out, I folded it over several times so it would be light and not too heavy. Turned out good...just wish the dough had more flavor.. I saw another reviewer say they used vodka. I will try that next time instead of vinegar. As for the filling...it was okay as well.. granted, I couldn't find a habanero (#quarantine) so I used a jalapeño and added some chili powder and crushed red pepper (loveeee spice). And still it was just okay. I think I will play around with the filling a bit more. Maybe try adding a bit of curry next time to see if the flavor is more authentic. All in all, easy to follow and turned out good. I will make this again for company (when we can do that again).
Anonymous
Chicago
8/4/2020
I’ve made these twice now during Quarantine Times™ ;) I follow the dough recipe as written. The first time I had to cut in the butter with knives (because I forgot our blender had a food processor attachment!) and I think that time the dough was better because the butter chunks were bigger. Then I sort of freestyle the inside, using the recipe as framework since you don’t always have every ingredient on hand anymore. Last night had the addition of some leftover potatoes which ended up disappearing into the beef but making the juices into a thick sauce. It’s a great way to stretch a pound of ground beef into a meal.
missmatlock
Los Angeles
5/20/2020
Made these tonight, big hit. Made them with ground chicken because that was what we had in the fridge. Adjusted the spices to be able to share with friends that prefer things a little less spicy. The pastry is super easy, super flaky. Will definitely make again.
Anonymous
Montreal
4/22/2020
Love the shell of this patty. I added one habanero without seeding it and it turned out a little too spicy for me. When rolling out the dough, I found portioning the dough into 18 balls before rolling it out to be easier and more consistent than the method stated in the recipe.
camel
Eau Claire, WI
4/13/2020
Excellent recipe, filling flavorful, slight spice, and delicious. Actually better than the more generic beef patties found in stores or sold at Carribean themed events/food trucks. Will definitely be making this one again.
Anonymous
Minneapolis, MN
1/25/2020
The dough has excellent flavor. I used vodka instead of vinegar. Despite all the seasoning I was surprised at how bland the filling was. I would recommend only 1 not 2 cups of broth as the filling can’t be juicy or it will run all over. Make the filling in advance and let it cool To at least room temp so it won’t cause the crust to melt and fall apart around it.
Anonymous
Minneapolis
1/14/2020
Not bad but not too authentic. How about a recipie for Stamp & Go? The real version.
quilty_lu
ca
1/13/2020
I can't leave a bad review as the recipe is in itself tasty, but i do want to say that this is an empanada style rendition of a patty. Jamaican beef patty's use lard or suet in the crust and is folded in to create a much more flaky texture. Furthermore the meat is typically of a more blended consistency and will not fall out in large chunks as seen in the image above. Finally the crust of the patty will stick to the meat inside, and the flakes will be considerably more moist, a result of the heavier suet/lard used in the cooking process. Again this recipe is tasty as is, but i feel it is important to make the distinction that a jamaican beef patty bought from a bakery on the streets of jamaica will not come out the same as this due to the nuances listed above. Finally i give my respect to the creator of this recipe and bless up.
Mcfarquharp
Jamaican American
1/9/2020
The dough/pastry was great. Really nice and flaky with good flavour. I would have liked the filling a little spicier, so would probably add another habanero next time, but that's completely dependent on the peppers you can get. I'm not sure how you can simmer off a full cup of liquid in 5-8 minutes. I ended up at probably twice that, but may have erred on the dry side to avoid a soggy filling. Overall, a great dinner that I'll make again.
Anonymous
Newfoundland, Canada
1/9/2020