The Harry Potter book and movie series have had a long lasting legacy because they have touched the hearts of so many people. In spite of author JK Rowling being under fire for her controversial remarks, Potterheads have still tried to keep their devotion towards this story of a young orphaned boy, who is destined to change the wizarding world. According to the books, Harry Potter was born on July 31, 1980, so he would be 44 years old this year, well past his golden years of being a teenage hero. Still, to mark this fictional character's birthday, here are some desserts inspired from his world that us Muggles can recreate in our kitchens.
Treacle Tart
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
- 280 gm chilled, unsalted butter
- 350 gm flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 5-6 tbsp cold water
For the treacle filling:
- 315 gm golden syrup
- 110 gm breadcrumbs
- Juice and zest of a lemon
- 1 egg mixed with water for egg wash
Instructions:
- Make sure that the butter is chilled, not frozen, and then cut it into cubes.
- Then add it to a food processor along with flour, sugar, salt, and 5 tablespoons of water. Blend to combine into a dough that is like wet sand.
- Divide the dough into two balls, flatten into discs, wrap in cling film, and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours.
- Use regular or panko breadcrumbs, or even homemade ones for this recipe.
- Heat the golden syrup in a saucepan, then add the lemon juice, its zest, and the breadcrumbs. Combine well to form the treacle filling.
- Now preheat the oven to 180°C, and take out the pie dough from the fridge.
- Roll one disc out to be slightly bigger than your baking dish, then invert the rolled out disc into it, press the sides, and trim off any excess.
- You can blind bake the pastry shell for 10 minutes by covering it with parchment paper, then filling some uncooked beans or raw rice.
- Then take it out, pierce the pie crust with a fork, and bake it again for 10 minutes.
- Add the treacle filling into the pie crust, then create a lattice lid with the other disc. This means to roll out the pie lid, then cut strips and arrange them in a criss-cross fashion.
- Brush with egg wash and bake for about 10 minutes at 200°C. Then reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for 25 more minutes.
- Let it cool down slightly before digging in.
Pumpkin Pasties
Ingredients:
For the pie crust:
Use the ingredients mentioned above
For the pumpkin filling:
- 85 gm softened cream cheese
- 73 gm brown sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 183 gm pumpkin puree
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice mix that includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground ginger
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
For the topping:
- 1 egg
- 50 gm granulated sugar
- ½ tsp pumpkin spice mix
Instructions:
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, then set them aside.
- For the pasty filling, mix softened cream cheese together with brown sugar and cornstarch until smooth and airy.
- Then add the pureed pumpkin, egg yolk, vanilla extract, a tablespoon of heavy cream, and the pumpkin spice mix.
- Create the pie crusts according to the recipe mentioned for the treacle tart, then roll them out. Cut about 20 pasties from these discs. Use the spare dough to make more pasties.
- Add 10 pieces on the lined baking trays. Then add a generous spoonful of the pumpkin filling into the center.
- Now close them shut by placing other discs over them. Press the edges of each pasty gently using a fork. Also, piece every pasty too to let the hot steam out during cooking.
- Then brush with sugar and egg wash, and bake in a preheated oven set at 200°C.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the pasties become golden brown.
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer on a wire rack and let cool further.