The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (13 page)
Serves 4
A talon might not be easy to find to add to this casserole, but if you have a dragon for a pet and you've just clipped its claws, you can add the clippings.
The Favorite Cook's Dishes
Mrs. Weasley is the mother of Harry's best friend, Ron. Plump, kind, and motherly, she can nevertheless be quite terrifying if her kids — and also her husband, Mr. Weasley — misbehave. Mrs. Weasley is almost like the mother Harry never had, and his favorite place to be after Hogwarts is the Burrow, the Weasleys' untidy house, which looks like it's about to fall down. There Harry gets to hang out with Ron and his brothers and his sister, Ginny, while eating home-cooked meals and being treated like a member of the family. The best cook Harry ever knew is Mrs. Weasley, and what a cook she is! She cooks everything from scratch, using fresh ingredients, and skillfully produces dishes that are beyond the ordinary home cook. Of course, a wand helps. But we'll have to do without one to replicate her wonderful food.
Harry is astonished to find a pile of presents at his bedside on Christmas morning. Ron asks him if he expected turnips. But Harry hasn't ever seen a pile of gifts for him for any occasion — not for holidays, not for birthdays — and so he's delighted with the fudge and hand-knitted (or wand-knitted) sweater that Mrs. Weasley sent him for Christmas (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 12).
Great fudge should have a slightly grainy but also smooth and creamy texture. It may take some practice to get right. Although we Americans associate fudge with the chocolate variety, in England it often means non-chocolate fudge, also called opera fudge. And it tastes absolutely amazing.
If the mixture gets too hot, the fudge will seize up into a hard, grainy clump when you try to stir it. If it doesn't get hot enough, the fudge will not thicken and will remain a gloopy mess. You can then try to save it by putting it back in the pot with some water (don't worry; the water will evaporate) and reheating it to the correct temperature.
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup or light or dark corn syrup
¼ stick (2 tablespoons) butter
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Grease an 8-inch square pan. Line it with parchment paper, allowing the paper to come up two of the sides. This will make it easy to remove the fudge and slice it.
Combine the sugar, milk, golden syrup or corn syrup, butter, heavy cream, salt, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan. (As you cook, the mixture will expand like crazy, so be sure the pot is large enough; it should be at least 4 quarts.) Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in hot water to get rid of sugar crystals. A few crystals on the sides can cause the fudge to recrystallize.
Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 220°F. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 238°F. This whole process may take more than 30 minutes, so be patient. Don't worry if the mixture looks curdled; it will smooth out as it thickens during the beating process.
Remove the pan from the heat and wait until the mixture cools to 115°F. Remove the thermometer, add the vanilla, and beat or stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture loses its gloss and is very thick, about 10 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. You can use a piece of plastic wrap and the palm of your hand to do this.
Cool completely before cutting into 1-inch squares.
Makes 64 pieces
Mrs. Weasley always seems prepared when it comes to food. Harry can burst in on her in the middle of the night and she'll still be able to serve him a nice meal. Fresh bread is part of it when Dumbledore brings Harry to the Burrow after taking him to Professor Slughorn's (see
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
, Chapter 5).
The Irish weren't very much into yeast breads (inadequate cooking utensils were the culprit), so they must have been very happy when baking soda arrived on the scene; they could quickly and easily make bread with it. And that's what they've been doing since the late 1800s. This is the bread to serve with soups and stews, and it makes awesome toast.
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1 large egg, beaten
1½ cups buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease and flour a 9-inch round baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it is completely rubbed in. The mixture will still be floury because of the much higher proportion of flour. With a wooden spoon stir or fold in the egg and buttermilk until a dough begins to form. Turn the dough onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead briefly just until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a round and dust the top with the extra flour. Place the dough into the prepared pan and score an X about ½-inch deep on the top of the dough.
Bake for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350°F and bake another 40 minutes until the bottom is dark golden brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Irish soda bread tastes best the day it is made but makes the best toast ever after the first day. Serve with soup or stew.
Makes 1 loaf
Apparently, Harry loves anything treacle. He's always reaching for the treacle tart, and he seems to really like the treacle pudding Mrs. Weasley prepared for dessert the night before he left the Burrow for Hogwarts (see
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
, Chapter 5).
Treacle is like molasses and is made during sugar refining. Black treacle is like dark molasses, and light treacle is also called golden syrup, which can be found in some supermarkets and specialty food stores. The light variety is so good that if you buy it you might find yourself sneaking spoonfuls every now and then.
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup golden syrup or light molasses
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
fi cup milk, at room temperature
½ cup golden syrup or light molasses, plus more for serving
Fill a large pot with water and place a shallow bowl upside down inside the pot. Bring the water to a boil. Butter and flour a 2½-quart round baking dish or glass bowl and its lid; set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and the 1/3 cup golden syrup or molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing at medium speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds after each. Add the lemon zest and juice and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing on the lowest speed just until incorporated and beginning and ending with the flour. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom and fold the mixture together.
Pour the ½ cup golden syrup or molasses into the bottom of the baking dish or glass bowl. Scrape the batter into the dish and smooth the top with the rubber spatula. Cover tightly with the lid and place it in the pot on top of the overturned bowl, making sure the water comes halfway up the sides. Cover the pot and simmer for 2½ hours. Check every so often to see if more water needs to be added (don't let the pot boil dry).
Remove the pudding from the pot. Remove the lid and invert the pudding onto a serving dish. Serve with warmed golden syrup.
Serves 8
After Harry's been spirited away in Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia to the Burrow, he enjoys the rest of summer vacation with Ron. On the last night before start of term, he digs into a fabulous dinner prepared by fabulous cook Mrs. Weasley, finishing off with dessert and hot chocolate (see
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
, Chapter 5).
Before Coenraad van Houten was born, people enjoyed hot chocolate with pools of grease floating on top. But then along came the Dutch chemist, who figured out how to press out the cocoa butter from the cocoa beans in the early 1800s. Plus, he invented Dutch cocoa, which is leaps and bounds better than natural cocoa. We modern folk owe him a big debt of gratitude: every city should have a statue of this man, and every village and hamlet should have a Coenraad van Houten Street.
½ cup water
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped cream, optional, for serving
Unsweetened cocoa powder, optional, for serving
Combine the water, sugar, cocoa powder, and coffee in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate until smooth. Return to the heat and add the milk, cooking and stirring until just heated through (do not boil). Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the hot chocolate immediately into four teacups. You can top the hot chocolate with a dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.
Serves 4
