The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (2 page)
Good Food with Bad Relatives
The Dursleys might thank you to remember that they are as normal as can be, but their treatment of their own flesh-and-blood nephew Harry Potter is anything but. Determined to stamp out any vestiges of magic he might have inherited from his wizard parents, they keep him as downtrodden as possible. But they can't force him to avoid his destiny. On the stroke of midnight of his eleventh birthday, after years of fantasizing about a kind relative coming to claim him, Harry is visited by a half-giant called Hagrid, who tells him the truth about his heritage. Despite the best efforts of the Dursleys to prevent this, Harry finally escapes to Hogwarts to be trained as a wizard (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapters 1–6).
Aunt Petunia has always hated her sister for being able to master potions, but she is no slouch around the cauldron either, at least when it comes to cooking. In
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
she whips up a three-course meal for a classy dinner party with the Masons, and in
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
, a fancy meal for Aunt Marge. To the disgust, shame, and horror of the Dursleys, Harry ruins both meals… and Uncle Vernon will never forgive him for losing the deal that would have bought him a summer home in Majorca.
Does Harry sometimes remind you of Cinderella? He has to cook, he has to clean…. Often he plays the role of breakfast chef at the Dursleys', and the morning of Dudley's birthday is no exception. Aunt Petunia darkly warns him not to burn breakfast (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 2).
Eggs and bacon doesn't sound very posh, but some 400 years ago, it was the “Breakfast of Queens.” Henrietta Maria, Queen Consort of England and wife of King Charles I, would finish off a fancy breakfast with a simple dish of poached eggs and bacon. In England, a “rasher” of bacon is one slice, and two rashers are called a “gammon.”
1 gammon of bacon
1 tablespoon lard or bacon drippings reserved from frying
2 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To pan-fry the bacon, heat a skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Lay the bacon carefully in the pan. Let the bacon cook for 2 minutes; then, using a pair of tongs or a fork, turn the bacon and cook for 2 minutes more. Continue cooking and turning every 30 seconds until the bacon reaches desired crispness. Remove the bacon and let it drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium low. Break the eggs into a small bowl. When the fat begins to sizzle, add the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
Serves 1
Fried eggs are served by a degree of doneness: sunny side up, over-easy, over-medium, or over-hard. For sunny side up, cook the eggs for 4 minutes or until the white is set and firm. For “over” eggs, add the eggs to the pan and let cook for 3 minutes. Carefully flip the eggs using a spatula and cook as follows: over-easy for 2 minutes on second side; over-medium, 2 minutes, 15 seconds; over-hard, 2 minutes, 30 seconds or until the yolk is completely firm. You can also break the yolk before turning for over-hard.
When Harry goes with the Dursleys to the zoo, the day starts out like a dream come true. Harry has never been taken along on Dudley's birthday trips before and he can hardly believe his luck. Uncle Vernon buys chocolate ice creams for Dudley and his friend Piers to enjoy on their outing. There's none for Harry, of course (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 2).
When the first ice cream recipe found its way to England in the 1600s, King Charles I wanted to keep it for himself. Ice cream was a treat reserved for royalty and the king wanted to make sure it stayed that way. According to legend, he swore his cook to keep the recipe a secret. But when the king died, the secret got out… and now you can enjoy this sumptuous ice cream recipe.
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
5 large egg yolks
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Sugar cones for serving
Combine the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, until hot but not simmering. Whisk the melted chocolate into the egg yolks (it will be thick and difficult to whisk). Temper the egg yolk mixture by slowly pouring 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking vigorously. Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan containing the rest of the milk mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until very hot but not simmering. Do not boil.
2. Pour the mixture through a sieve. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and cool to room temperature, then chill until completely cold, about 6 hours. Freeze in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, 8 hours or overnight.
To serve, scoop 2 balls of ice cream into each cone and top with your favorite toppings.
Makes about 5 cups
If the ice cream is rock hard after freezing, allow it to soften at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Homemade ice cream keeps for about a week. Also, to keep the cones from leaking, pour melted bittersweet chocolate into the bottom of each one before filling with the ice cream.
The Dursleys don't want to buy Harry chocolate ice cream when they take him to the zoo on Dudley's birthday, but when the lady asks him what he'll have, they at least have the decency to be embarrassed to not buy him anything. They compromise by buying him a lemon pop, which Harry enjoys anyway (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 2).
Who doesn't like a nice frozen pop on a hot day? Slushies and other frozen treats have been around for thousands of years. The famous conqueror Alexander the Great had fresh snow brought to him from the mountains to chill his wine, and the evil Roman emperor Nero used to mix snow with honey and fruit for dessert, which he had to eat right away before it melted. Fortunately, thanks to modern technology, we don't have to go to such lengths to enjoy these treats.
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons lemon juice
7 tablespoons granulated sugar
1¾ cups water
½ teaspoon lemon extract
Place the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and water in a saucepan and heat, stirring frequently, just until beginning to simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon extract. Pour into ice pop molds.
2. Freeze until solid, about 5 hours.
Makes approximately 4 (4-ounce) pops
These lemon pops get their bright lemon flavor from three sources — grated lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract — hence the name “Triple Power.”
Dudley pretends to cry when he discovers that Harry will have to come along with him on his birthday trip. Aunt Petunia, fooled by his antics, assures Dudley that she won't let Harry spoil his special day. Little does she know! But before the day ends in disaster, Harry enjoys the knicker-bocker glory he has been allowed to finish when Dudley complains his doesn't have enough ice cream (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 2).
This is a terrific summer treat and easy to prepare. It's time to revive the knickerbocker glory in America. This parfait-like dessert was first recorded in the United States in the 1930s, but instead of taking off here, it found its way across the ocean and became popular in England. How did it get its curious name? Some say from striped knickerbockers: the layers of ice cream, jelly, custard, fruit, and whipped cream look like striped knee breeches. However, “knickerbockers” was also a term used to refer to New Yorkers, so that might be a connection too.
2 cups custard (recipe follows)
Whipped cream (recipe follows)
2 cups any flavor Jell-O (prepared in advance)
Chopped toasted nuts, such as peanuts
2 cups chopped fresh fruit (such as peaches or berries)
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Chocolate syrup
Prepare the custard, whipped cream, and Jell-O in advance; chop and toast the nuts ahead as well.
Wash, and if necessary, peel and chop the fruit you are using.
Set out six tall sundae glasses. Divide ½ pint of the ice cream into the bottom of the six glasses. Evenly divide 1 cup of the fruit into the glasses. Then evenly divide 1 cup of the Jell-O over the fruit and 1 cup of the custard over the Jell-O. Repeat the layering once with the remaining ice cream, fruit, Jell-O, and custard.
Top with the whipped cream, toasted nuts, and chocolate syrup.
Serves 6
Custard
¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream or 1½ cups whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar with the cornstarch and salt in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the milk and cream and stir until the cornstarch dissolves. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
Cook the milk mixture over medium-high heat until the mixture is just starting to bubble and thicken. Reduce the heat to low. Temper the yolks by slowly pouring ½ cup of the hot mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly. Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan, stirring constantly.
Turn the heat back up to medium-high. Cook, stirring constantly but gently, until the mixture is thick. Once the mixture starts to thicken, it must be handled gently or the cornstarch will lose its thickening power. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Strain the custard through a sieve into another bowl. (You may need to push it through the sieve with a rubber spatula; this gets rid of lumps.) Cover the custard with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and chill until it is set. Place the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whip until firm peaks form and stay in place when you lift up the beater and turn the bowl upside down.
