The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz [20]
It's unsurprising that witches — or wizards, in this case — would drink pumpkin juice. During the fall harvest, the Celts used to carve vegetable lanterns out of turnips and rutabagas to scare away evil spirits. Later, Americans started using pumpkins in the same tradition. The pumpkin lanterns eventually became associated with Halloween perhaps because of its connection with witches (and demons and vampires and such like).
1 small pumpkin, known as sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin
2 cups apple juice
1 cup white grape juice
1 cup pineapple juice
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the pumpkin in half pole to pole and scoop out the seeds. Don't worry about the stringy fibers; they are hard to remove and won't affect the results. Place the pumpkin halves face down on a baking sheet and roast 45 minutes to 1 hour until soft. Remove from the oven.
When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Place the cooked pumpkin in a large finemesh sieve set over a bowl and push the pumpkin through using a rubber spatula. Scrape and mash as you push; it will take several minutes. Discard the pulpy mass left in the sieve. Stir the sieved pumpkin in the bowl to evenly distribute the juices, and then measure out 1 cup.
Place the cup of sieved pumpkin in a pitcher along with the apple juice, grape juice, and pineapple juice. Stir vigorously until the pumpkin is completely dispersed. Chill the juice until it's very cold.
Before serving, stir the juice well, as the pumpkin will settle to the bottom. Fill crystal goblets with ice cubes and pour the juice over the ice.
Makes 5 cups
Although this recipe was tested using freshly roasted pumpkin, it would probably work if you use canned pumpkin instead to save the bother of making it from scratch.
Big, Fluffy Pancakes
In the wizarding world this dish is called Cauldron Cakes. Harry sees them for the first time on the witch's trolley on board the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He generously shares with Ron, who finds his dry corned beef sandwich unappealing (Chapter 6).
The humble pancake had an exciting birth. Frantically trying to use up all their butter, milk, and cream by Lent, housewives fried stacks and stacks of the stuff. One legend has a housewife flipping pancakes while running to church to be shriven (receive penance for her sins). So Shrove Tuesday became known as Pancake Day, a day when pancake-eating contests are still held. Women in some towns race to church while carrying frying pans filled with pancakes. The prize? A prayer book.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature 2/3 cup granulated sugar Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), melted
2½ cups whole milk mixed with juice of 1 lemon, left to sit at room temperature until thickened or microwaved for 30 seconds to 1 minute until thickened Confectioners' sugar, for dusting Marmalade, for serving
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Drizzle in the melted butter while whisking vigorously. Whisk in the milk.
Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Whisk the two mixtures together briefly until just combined. The batter may be lumpy. Take care not to overmix or the pancakes will come out tough.
Spray an 8-inch skillet with cooking spray. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Pour ½ cup of batter into the skillet and cook until the surface bubbles and the