The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (9 page)
Makes 6 pies
A small town in West Yorkshire called Denby Dale makes the biggest meat and potato pies in the world to celebrate major events. The tradition started in 1788 to celebrate King George III's recovery from mental illness. In 1988, the pie that was baked to celebrate the 200th anniversary of this tradition made it into the
Guinness Book of World Records
at twenty feet by seven feet and eighteen inches deep. But the pie baked in 2000 to celebrate the millennium broke that record at forty feet by eight feet and forty-four inches deep.
Pie Crust
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, chilled and cut into pieces
½ cup (8 tablespoons) vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into pieces
½ to ¾ cup cold water
Meat and Potato Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 ounces chuck steak, diced into ¼-inch pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups chicken broth
1 medium red-skinned potato, peeled and diced into ¼-inch pieces
1 medium carrot, peeled and dieced into ¼-inch pieces
¼ teaspoon ground sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for brushing over the pie
Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 15 pulses. Turn the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle ½ cup water over the mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is dry (better too wet than too dry). Divide the dough in half, form into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
To make the Meat and Potato Filling, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the meat and sear on both sides until crusty brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Add the onions to the skillet and sauté until well browned. Return the meat to the pan, sprinkle the flour over, and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours. Add the chopped potato and carrot, sage, salt, and pepper and cook for another 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to another bowl, and cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. On a generously floured surface, roll out one of the disks very thin. Use a 6-inch saucer to cut out six circles. Fit the circles into a 6-cup muffin pan, leaving the overhang. Fill generously with the meat and potato filling.
Roll out the second disk of dough. Use a 4-inch cookie cutter to cut out six circles. Brush the overhanging dough with water and lay the circles over the filling. For each pie, fold the over-hang over the top dough circle and press with your fingers to seal. Cut slits in the top of each pie to form vents, and brush the tops with the beaten egg. Bake for 1 hour, rotating the pan midway through baking.
Makes 6 pies
During World War II, home cooks simply didn't have enough flour to make a whole pie, so thrifty and resourceful English housewives came up with a way to make do with less. They dumped fruit in a pan and topped it with a mixture of flour, some kind of fat, and sugar — and the fruit crumble (generally called “crisp” in the United States) was born. The following recipe would have been too extravagant during the Second World War, as it calls for both a bottom crust and a crumble topping.
Pie Crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, chilled and cut into pieces
4–6 tablespoons cold water
Apple Filling
2 tablespoons butter
2 sweet apples (such as Gala or Braeburn), peeled, cored, and finely chopped
2 tart apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and finely chopped
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg Zest and juice of half a lemon
Crumble Topping
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup packed dark or light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 15 pulses. Turn the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons water over the mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is dry (better too wet than too dry). Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
To make the Apple Filling, heat the butter in a large skillet until it starts foaming. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the apples are soft and the juices have evaporated. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Scatter the butter pieces on top and rub them into the flour mixture with your fingers until the mixture resembles the consistency of wet sand. Add the chopped pecans and toss to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. On a generously floured surface, roll out the dough very thin. Use a 4-inch cookie cutter to cut out twelve circles. Fit the circles into a 12-cup muffin pan. Fill each pie with a heaping tablespoon of filling. Generously sprinkle the flour and butter mixture on top.
Bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan midway through baking, until the juices are bubbling over and the tops are browned. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans until cool enough to handle. To remove from the pans, run a knife around the edges to loosen the pies and lift out.
Makes 12 pies
Who invented Banoffi Pie? Nobody really knows. The Hungry Monk Café in Jevington takes credit for this banana and toffee-coffee pie created in the 1970s, but as it was never patented we'll never know for sure. This recipe contains one of the coolest discoveries out there. If you boil a can of condensed milk for a few hours, it turns into a lovely caramel-y goo.
Pie Crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
4–6 tablespoons ice water
Banoffi Filling
1 14-ounce can condensed milk
½ ripe but firm banana, cut into 1/8-inch slices (do not peel and slice until ready to assemble the pies)
Whipped Cream Topping
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon instant coffee
Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles yellow meal without any white powdery bits remaining, about 15 pulses. Turn the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons water over the mixture and toss with a rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is dry (better too wet than too dry). Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. On a generously floured surface, roll out the dough 1/8.-inch thick. Cut out six 5-inch circles. Fit the circles into a 6-cup muffin pan. Flute the edges for an attractive finish. Freeze the shells for 15 minutes.
Line the shells with aluminum foil, making sure to cover the edges. Fill with beans or pie weights. Bake until the dough is dry and set, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, reduce the temperature to 350°F, and bake until the shells are browned, another 8 minutes. Remove the shells from the oven and allow to cool.
Place the can of condensed milk in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for three hours, checking frequently to refill the pot if the water level drops. If the water level drops too low, the can may explode. Turn off the heat. When the can is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pot and chill in the refrigerator until cold.
To prepare the whipped cream, whisk together 4. the cream, confectioners' sugar, and coffee in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form.
To assemble the pies, lay two banana slices in the bottom of each shell. Spoon a tablespoon of toffee over the bananas in each shell. Snack on the remaining toffee while you work and reserve the rest for another use. Finish with a dollop of the whipped cream, or pipe it over the toffee for an attractive finish. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve within 24 hours.
Makes 6 pies
Do not attempt this recipe if you are absent-minded. If the water boils out, the can will explode. You need to keep an eye on the water level in the pot.
Malfoy is feeling left out, but Harry would rather hang out with his friends, thank you very much, than accept the invitation to dine with Professor Slughorn aboard the Hogwarts Express, where Slughorn passes around pheasant to the select members of the “Slug Club” (see
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
, Chapter 7).