The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz [37]
Fill each pie with a heaping tablespoon of the mincemeat filling (you will have a lot of leftover filling; see note for other uses). On a floured surface, roll out the second disk 1/8-inch thick. Use a 3½-inch round cookie cutter to cut out another ten circles of dough. Moisten the edges of the pies and attach the circles of dough to the edges by crimping with a fork (or your fingers).
Brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Cut slits for vents. Fill the remaining empty cups halfway with water. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until dark golden brown. Cool the pies completely in the pan. To remove them from the pan, slide a knife around the edges and lift them out.
Makes about 10 pies
There are several delicious ways to use the leftover mincemeat filling. To make mincemeat cobbler, put the rest of the filling into a greased 8-inch square pan and arrange the scraps of dough on top. Brush with the rest of the beaten egg, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake along with the pies for a mincemeat cobbler. You also can fold a cup of the filling into a quart of softened vanilla ice cream and refreeze until firm (see Chapter 8 for Mincemeat Ice Cream). Adults can stir in ¼ cup brandy with the butter in step 2 to make a more authentic mince-meat.
The filling will then keep well in the refrigerator for several months.
Rhubarb Crumble with Custard Sauce
Harry's first dinner at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is a spectacular meal followed by a spectacular dessert cooked by Harry's favorite cook. The camaraderie that good food inspires disappears in a flash right after the rhubarb crumble and custard when Sirius invites Harry to ask whatever he wants about the Order of the Phoenix (see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 5).
In the 1500s, you might have been offered stewed rhubarb when it was time to take your medicine. But that didn't work — it didn't get rid of bubonic plague. Three centuries later, rhubarb finally found its way into pies. It did take kind of a long time, but it's a good thing they figured it out. If you try this recipe, you will understand why Harry had three helpings.
Rhubarb Filling
1 pound frozen rhubarb
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon baking soda
Crumble Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ stick (4 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into chunks
Custard Sauce
¼ cup granulated sugar Pinch salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream or 1½ cups milk
3 large egg yolks
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the rhubarb, sugar, lemon zest, and baking soda in a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
While the rhubarb is baking, make the Crumble Topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Remove the rhubarb from the oven, toss the rhubarb mixture one more time, and pour the topping into the center, spreading it to the edges with your fingers. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until the rhubarb bubbles over the edges.
For the custard, combine the sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the milk and cream and continue stirring until the cornstarch dissolves. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is hot but not bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring ½ cup of the hot mixture into the yolks while whisking the yolks constantly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan while stirring gently. Turn up the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly,