The essential Harry Potter cooking guide

Every Harry Potter movie has at least one scene in the Great Hall over breakfast, lunch or dinner. Perhaps you haven’t been envious of their Cornish or pumpkin pasties, Christmas pudding, treacle tarts and pumpkin juice, but you might be after trying these wizard-inspired recipes. The more unusual are complied in our list of essential Harry Potter recipes.

Butterbeer

(Credited to Mugglenet)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (8 ounces) club soda or cream soda
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) butterscotch syrup (ice cream topping)
• 1/2 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Measure butterscotch and butter into a 2 cup (16 ounce) glass. Microwave on high for 1- to 1-1/2 minutes, or until syrup is bubbly and the butter is completely incorporated.
2. Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit.
3. Serve in two coffee mugs or small glasses. This makes a perfectly warm Hogwarts’ treat for two!

More butterbeer recipes>>

Pumpkin Juice

(Credited to Mugglenet)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin chopped into chunks
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon honey (more or less, to taste)
• Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and/or allspice (all ground, to taste)

Directions:

1. Juice the pumpkin pieces by squeezing them through a cheesecloth, or use a juicer if you have one.
2. Pour the pumpkin juice, apple juice and pineapple juice into a blender.
3. Add the honey (we recommend you start with 1 teaspoon, as you can add some later!) to the juices and blend thoroughly.
4. Add your spices (to taste). This might take some experimentation to get right.
5. Chill your pumpkin juice or serve iced and enjoy!

Porridge

(Credited to Scottish recipes)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of oats
• 1-1/4 cups of water
• Toppings can include: milk or cream, sugar, honey, cinnamon, jam, berries, nuts, or fresh fruits.

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients into a pan and heat on the stove over medium heat.
2. Stir continuously and, once the porridge is thick, remove it from the heat.

Cornish Pasties

(Credited to Good Food Stories)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 sticks butter or shortening
• 6 to 7 tablespoons ice water
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 3/4 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup finely diced red potatoes (about 2 large or 3 small potatoes)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt, pepper and any other spices you like
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt and butter 10 to 15 times, 5 seconds at a time, until a ragged, slightly moist dough interspersed with pea-sized bits of butter starts to take shape.
2. Pour the dough into a bowl big enough to knead in and add the ice water little by little, kneading until the dough holds together but isn’t sticky.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
4. In a medium bowl, dissolve the bouillon in 1/2 cup of boiling water. Add the ground beef, onion, potato, and garlic. Season liberally with salt, pepper and any other seasoning you’d like.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in two and roll each half out to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out a circle about 8 inches in diameter from each half (you can trace the bottom of a pie pan with the tip of a paring knife). Combine scraps and repeat, using all the dough. You should have enough dough for 5 or 6 circles — more if you roll it thinner — fewer if you roll it quite thickly.
6. Spoon the filling onto one half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Fold the top of the circle over the filling to make the pasty’s distinctive half-moon shape. Dampen the edge of your pastry to help it stick. If you want a thinner crust, crimp the edges together using the tines of a fork. For a more traditional pasty edge, leave yourself a little more pastry along the edges and make a roped pie crust edge
7. Cut slits into the tops of each pasty so steam can escape, and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Brush a thin coating of beaten egg onto the top of each pasty.
8. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling slightly bubbles through the slits. Serve warm (but be mindful of the piping hot filling) or at room temperature.

ShepHErd’s Pie

(Credited to Mugglenet)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef or lamb
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 jar Heinz beef gravy (if you are making gravy from scratch: 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 cup chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and fresh black pepper to taste
• 1 carrot, optional
• Mashed potatoes (use your own recipe for the potatoes)

Directions:

1. Using a skillet, brown the ground beef or lamb on medium heat. Break up all clumps until it is evenly crumpled.
2. Drain the grease from the meat and remove the meat from the skillet then set it aside for a few minutes. Wipe the grease from skillet using a paper towel.
3. Pour vegetable oil into the skillet and sweat the onions (soften but not colored), then add garlic.
4. Pour the ground beef or lamb back into the skillet with the onions and garlic and combine.
5. Add 1 jar of Heinz beef gravy, carrot, salt and pepper (or add flour, chicken stock, tomato paste, carrot, salt and pepper).
6. Raise the heat and bring mixture to a simmer for about 15 minutes (until carrot is softened).
7. Remove mixture from the heat and place the meat into a 9-inch deep baking dish and top with prepared mashed potatoes.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
9. Bake the pie for approximately 45 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling around the edges and the mashed potatoes turn a deep yellow, almost brown color.

Next page: Yorkshire pudding, pumpkin pastries, Christmas pudding, treacle tarts & more!