The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz [50]
The British were much luckier than their contemporaries in other countries. In bad times, they had more food to eat than did the rest of Europe. Bacon was available even when a depression hit the country some 700 years ago. By the 1800s the lower classes were eating bacon almost every day for breakfast.
8 slices of bacon
Heat a large skillet. Add the bacon and fry on both sides until it is crisp.
Remove the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the bacon is used up.
Serves 4
Cheesy, Chivy Scrambled Eggs
On the morning of a Quidditch match, Captain Oliver Wood excitedly dishes out scrambled eggs to his team members. The weather is excellent; what could possibly go wrong? He doesn't know yet that the match will be canceled due to a couple more mysterious attacks (see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 14).
Eggs are a truly miraculous food. They have many uses, from simply being cooked and eaten (for which there are a million methods) to enriching breads and cakes, acting as a leavener or emulsifier, thickening sauces and custards… the list goes on and on. And that's without even mentioning what you can do with the whites and yolks separately. But for our purposes here, it's enough that scrambled eggs make a delicious and healthful breakfast.
1 tablespoon butter
6 eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Buttered toast, for serving
Tomatoes, for serving
Heat the butter in a large skillet. Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and chives. Whisk in the shredded cheese. Pour the mixture into the skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and gently with a wooden spoon until set.
To serve, sprinkle more chopped chives on top. Serve with buttered toast and tomatoes.
Serves 3 to 4
Cinnamon Pull-Apart Breakfast Rolls
To deflect questions about what Ginny was about to tell Harry, Percy (man, he has a guilty conscience!) asks for the breakfast rolls. But Ginny was about to tell Harry something much, much more important… good thing Percy interrupted, or she would've spoiled the plot (see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 16).
Cinnamon rolls, or buns, are a classic breakfast treat. Most people don't know this, but the cinnamon you buy is more likely powdered cassia bark, which tastes like cinnamon and is more plentiful and therefore cheaper. Real cinnamon is said to be superior, but who would know?
Dough
¼ cup warm water
1 tablespoon (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2/3 cup whole milk
½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Cinnamon Filling
1 tablespoon butter, melted
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Icing
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon heavy cream
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine the water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside until puffy. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan or the microwave until the butter is melted. Set aside. Whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the milk-butter mixture. Add the yeast mixture and egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. (If making this dough by hand, first whisk ½ cup of the flour mixture into the egg mixture until smooth, then add the egg mixture to the rest of the flour mixture.) Knead the dough in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook or by hand either in the bowl or on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place