The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Presents: A Magical Christmas Menu
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Authors: Dinah Bucholz
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The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Presents:
A Magical Christmas Menu
Copyright © 2010 by Dinah Bucholz
All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
Published by Adams Media,
a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com
All recipes were previously published in The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, Copyright © 2010 by Dina Bucholz, All rights reserved.
eISBN 10: 1-4405-2722-9
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-2722-7
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.
This book is unofficial and unauthorized. It is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by J. K. Rowling, her publishers, or Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Cornish Pasties
Not quailing under his mother's stern look as he explains how he bluffed his way through his History of Magic exam, Ron reaches for a Cornish pasty on the day Harry is to perform the final task in the Triwizard Tournament (see
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
, Chapter 31).
Also called “tiddy oggies,” these pasties were taken by the Cornwall tin miners to work. The mines were a scary place, full of evil, hungry spirits called “knockers.” To appease these terrifying beings, the miners threw their crusts (now full of arsenic from their fingers anyway) down the mine shafts. The pasties were a meal in one. Literally. Some women put vegetables in one end, meat in the middle, and fruit in the other end. They also stamped their husband's initials in the corner so each miner could find his pasty on the big oven where the pasties were kept warm until lunchtime.
Pasty Dough
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2½ sticks cold butter or margarine, cut into chunks
½ to ¾ cup ice water
Filling
8 ounces chuck steak, finely chopped (not ground)
1 potato, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter or margarine over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 20 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle ½ cup of the water over the mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is dry (better too wet than too dry). Divide the dough in half, form into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
Just before you are ready to roll out the dough, combine the steak, potatoes, carrots, onion, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. On a floured surface, roll out each circle of dough 1/8 inch thick. Use a saucer to cut out 6-inch circles. Place about 1/3 cup filling in the center of each circle. Moisten the edges of the circles with water. Fold the dough over and crimp the edges with a fork to seal them. Cut slits in the top to make vents.
Move the pasties to an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 375°F and bake for 1 hour until golden brown.
Makes 8 pasties
Before the start of the school term, Dumbledore brings Harry to the Burrow in the middle of the night, where Mrs. Weasley serves the hungry boy a bowl of hot onion soup (see
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
, Chapter 5). This thick and creamy soup, warm and comforting, is the perfect dish to serve the weary traveler who bursts in on you at one in the morning. Serve with thick wedges of Irish Soda Bread (Chapter 5).
The Romans brought onions to Britain — although the Romans didn't mention them much in their own cookbooks. The one Roman cookbook we have today, called
Apicius
, barely mentions onions because the Romans didn't like that they make your breath smelly. But today we have breath mints, so bring on the onions!
¼ stick (2 tablespoons) butter
2 large onions, cut lengthwise and then sliced 1/8-inch thick
4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups water and 4 teaspoons chicken-flavored soup and seasoning mix
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
2 cups whole milk, divided
1/3 cup flour
Heat the butter in a 4-quart pot. Add the onions to the pot, and cook over low heat until the onions are golden, about 30 minutes.
Add the chicken broth or the water and soup mix, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the onions are very soft, about 30 minutes.
Combine 1/3 cup of the milk with the flour in a bowl and mix well, beating out the lumps with a whisk. Add this mixture slowly to the soup while stirring constantly. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. Add the rest of the milk and just heat through; do not boil.
Serves 6
Classic Roast Turkey
At his first Christmas dinner at Hogwarts, Harry has never seen so many roast turkeys — a hundred of them, served with gravy and cranberry sauce (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 12).
Peacocks and swans appeared regularly on the royal table in merry old England. They looked impressive, but tasted awful because of their tough, stringy meat. That's why, when the turkey was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, it quickly replaced the peacocks and swans. King Henry VIII (that's the one with the six wives) was the first to eat turkey as part of the Christmas feast.
3 onions, peeled and cut into quarters
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
6 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch chunks
Several sprigs thyme
1 cup water
1 turkey, 12–14 pounds, giblets and neck removed (can be used to make turkey stock for gravy)
Olive oil or melted butter or margarine
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scatter the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and thyme in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Pour in the water. If you have a roasting rack, grease it and place it in the roasting pan.
Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place it on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan breast-side down, or on the rack, if using. Brush the back with the olive oil or melted butter and sprinkle it with the salt and pepper.
Roast the turkey for 45 minutes. Using oven mitts or towels, flip the turkey breast-side up. Pat the breast dry; then brush more oil or butter over the breast and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for another 1 to 1½ hours, until the thickest part of the thigh registers 170°F on a meat thermometer. Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let it rest 20 to 30 minutes before carving.
Serves 10–12
To make turkey stock for gravy, place the turkey giblets and neck in a small saucepan along with 1 carrot, 1 celery, ½ onion cut into chunks, 1 peeled garlic clove, and a few sprigs of dill. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Strain the stock through a sieve and use a fat separator to remove the fat.