The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz [17]
Makes about 5 cups
Crumpets
Harry is a goner. He just blew up his Aunt Marge, used magic illegally, and ran away from home. He'll be expelled for sure. When he sees Minister Fudge at the Leaky Cauldron, he's terrified. But instead of chewing him out, Fudge cordially invites him in for tea and crumpets (see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 3).
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (½ packet)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
¼ stick (2 tablespoons) butter, melted
What's more stereotypically British than tea with crumpets? Crumpets hail from as far back as the 1300s, though you can imagine they were nothing like the crumpets of today, with their holey tops filled with melting butter.
Grease 4 crumpet rings (or 4 round 3¾-inch cookie cutters) and a skillet or griddle. Whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt until combined. Add the milk and melted butter and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until puffy and risen, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Stir down the mixture. Heat the greased skillet or griddle and put the crumpet rings inside. Using a measuring cup, pour 1/3 cup batter into each ring. Cook over low heat until the tops fill with holes, about 5 minutes. Carefully remove the crumpet rings (they will be very hot; use tongs or oven mitts) and flip the crumpets over (they should be pale on the bottom). Cook until the other side is pale brown, about 5 minutes more. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
To serve, toast the crumpets until golden brown and serve with butter and jam. The crumpets can be refrigerated and toasted when needed.
Makes 8 crumpets
Because the crumpets are toasted after cooking them, it's important not to let them get too brown. Instead of crumpet rings or cookie cutters, you can use lobster rings.
Chocolate Pudding
Harry's having the time of his life, roaming Diagon Alley and buying and eating whatever he wants. And the fun heats up when he meets his best friends, Ron and Hermione. They all have dinner together with the Weasleys at the Leaky Cauldron, where toothless Tom outdoes himself serving a delicious meal topped off with a luxurious chocolate pudding (see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4).
In England chocolate pudding can be either a steamed or baked pudding, similar to chocolate cake, or a soft milk pudding thickened with cornstarch, as in the United States. Puddings go all the way back to the Romans. The milk pudding we know of today — the only kind in this country — wasn't invented until the 1800s. Since chocolate pudding can mean either kind, a recipe for each is included.
Rich, Smooth Chocolate Milk Pudding
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process preferred
Pinch salt
2½ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
¼ stick (2 tablespoons) butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and whisk until combined. Add the milk and cream and stir to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the cocoa powder is dissolved. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Return to medium-high heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and bubbling. Once it starts to thicken, stir gently or the cornstarch will lose its thickening power.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla and whisk gently until the butter is melted and combined. Strain the pudding into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until set. Serve with whipped cream.
Serves 6
You know how some cookbooks call a recipe “Chocolate Indulgence”? Cliché or not, it totally applies to this pudding. It's so rich and