Butter Beer
Ingredients:
- 1 pint real vanilla ice cream (use a brand that includes vanilla seed specks for best flavor or make your own)
- 1/4 cup real butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon butterscotch extract
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 quart apple cider
- Apple slices for garnish, optional
Preparation:
On medium speed, beat together vanilla
ice cream, butter, butterscotch extract, brown sugar,
cinnamon, and
nutmeg until well-combined. Pour into a container and re-freeze.
When ready to serve, gently heat
apple cider in a saucepan until steaming hot.
Place 1 scoop of
ice cream in a thick soda glass or large mug. Top with steaming
apple cider. Garnish with apple slices, if desired.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Pumpkin Pasties
Makes about 3 dozen miniature pasties.
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 1 lb. can pumpkin
(or 2 cups fresh, roasted in the oven then pressed
through a strainer to save your
Pumpkin Juice to drink!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 2/3 cups evap. milk (1 can)
1/2 tsp. allspice
9 oz pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts)
Bake the pie filling only (no crust) in a large casserole dish in hot oven (425 degrees) for 15 minutes. Keep oven door closed and reduce temp to moderate (350 degrees F/180 degress Celsuis) and continue baking for 45 minutes or until table knife inserted in center of dish comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
Make or purchase pie crust pastry. Roll thin and cut into circles approx 4" in diameter. Put a spoonful of the cool pumpkin mixture towards one side of the center of the circle. Fold over the crust into a half-circle and firmly crimp the edges closed. Slice three small slits in the top for venting, place on a greased cookie sheet, and bake only until crust is a light golden-brown. Great served at room-temperature, then you don't have to worry about your guests possibly burning their mouths from the steaming hot pumpkin inside! :)
Licorice Wands
black licorice sticks
white chocolate candy melts
Melt the white chocolate according to the instructions. Take a licorice stick and dip it into the white chocolate to make a wand handle. Set the hollow licorice stick over a wooden skewer so the chocolate handle hardens straight at room temperature. These can be frozen, just thaw before serving.
Peppermint Toads
frog or toad chocolate candy mold
white chocolate candy melts
peppermint candy flavoring oil
(chocolate chips or other chocolate)
You can use food coloring to make the white candy melts any color you'd like. Melt the white chocolate according to the instructions. Use a toothpick to add peppermint oil drop by drop until you have the desired taste. Be careful, since the peppermint oil is VERY strong! Spoon the flavored chocolate mixture into the candy mold and let harden in the refrigerator. When solid, pop out your toads and add the eyes with a small paintbrush and melted chocolate chips. These can be frozen, just thaw before serving.
Cockroach Clusters
dark chocolate
dry chow mein noodles
Melt your chocolate until smooth. Stir in noodles until the mixture is thick enough to hold together. Spoon bite-sized clusters onto wax paper and let harden in the refrigerator. If you want longer-lasting candy, melt 1 stick cooking paraffin per 12 oz of chocolate before adding the noodles. These can be frozen, just thaw before serving.
Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans
Why bother worrying about making these when
Jelly Belly makes them for you?
Pumpkin Juice
Ingredients:
2 cups of pumpkin, chopped up into chunks
2 cups of apple juice
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1 teaspoon of honey (to taste)
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and/or Allspice (all ground, to taste)
Directions:
Juice the pumpkin pieces by squeezing through a cheesecloth or by using a juicer. Pour the pumpkin juice, apple juice and pineapple juice into a blender. Add the honey and spices, adjusting quantity to taste. Chill or serve over ice.
Treacle Fudge
Ingredients:
1/2 cup light cream or evaporated milk
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup molasses
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix cream, brown sugar and salt together, set aside. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from heat and add molasses. Add the chocolate mixtures and cream mixtures together. Pour mixture into a pan and let cool. Cut into squares after cooled and serve.
Edible Magic Wand
Ingredients:
- Pretzel Rods
- White Chocolate Chips or Almond Bark
- Colorful Sugar or Star-Shaped Sprinkles
Preparation:
Start out by melting some of the white chocolate in the microwave in a small bowl. How much you melt will depend on how many wands you are making. While you are waiting for the chocolate to melt completely, line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
Once the chocolate is melted, make the wands by dipping both ends of a pretzel rod into the chocolate to coat about 1-inch in white. Lay the pretzel rod on the wax paper on the cookie sheet and sprinkle right away with your colored sugar or star sprinkles. Set aside, do not refrigerate, until the chocolate has hardened.
Instead of white chocolate or almond bark, you can also use white frosting; however, these are better if eaten immediately.
Harry Potter Cupcakes
These are the ingredients you will need to make your Harry Potter birthday cupcakes:
Full English Breakfast
In England, a Full Breakfast may begin with orange juice, cereals, stewed or fresh fruits but the heart of the breakfast is bacon and eggs. They are variously accompanied by
sausages , grilled tomato, mushrooms,
tea , toast and
marmalade and in England may also have black pudding, baked beans and fried bread.
Serving Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea traditionally starts with savory finger - sized smoked salmon, cucumber, or egg and mustard cress sandwiches - followed by
scones with
jam and cream (clotted cream in Devon), and finally a selection of cakes. Variations through Britain may include the serving of
English Muffins , thinly sliced, hot buttered toast, crumpets, and in Scotland even a hot main course dish; bacon and eggs or a steak pie as favorites.
Rock Cakes
Ron's mum, Mrs Weasley, is a great baker and one of her favorite cakes to make are Rock Cakes. Rock cakes are delightful spicy, scone-like cakes and lovely warm from the oven spread with a little butter. They are one of the quickest and easiest cakes to make.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz/ 225g self rising flour
- 1 tsp double action baking powder (US) or 1 tsp baking powder (UK)
- 4 oz/110g soft butter or margarine
- 2 oz/ 55g granulated sugar
- 4 0z/ 110g mixed dried fruit
- 2 oz/ 55g currants
- 1 medium egg
- 1 - 3 tbsp milk
- Demerara sugar for sprinkling
- Oil for greasing
Preparation:
- Heat the oven to 400F
- Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large baking bowl, add the softened butter or margarine, and lightly rub together with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar and the dried fruit and mix so all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add the egg and 1 tbsp of the milk and mix to create a stiff dough. If the mixture is still dry add milk a tbsp at a time until required consistency.
- Lightly grease two baking sheets.
- Using a tablespoon divide the mixture into 12 mounds evenly spaced on the 2 baking sheets. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 mins or until golden brown and well risen.
Shepherds Pie or Cottage Pie
Cottage Pie is one the quickest and easiest supper dishes with this easy Cottage Pie recipe. Traditionally a Cottage Pie is made with ground beef, and if using ground lamb would be called a Shepherd's Pie but the recipe is the same for both.
Ingredients:
- 2 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 6 tbsp milk
- 1 stick butter, cubed + 1 tbsp for the sauce
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp lard or dripping
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup finely diced carrot
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups ground/ minced lamb
- 1 pint beef stock
- 1 cup chopped white mushrooms
- 2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
Preparation:
Serves 6
- Heat the oven to 375°F/190°C/Gas 5
- Boil the potatoes until soft then drain into a colander. Place the milk and butter in the pan used to boil the potatoes, return to the heat and warm gently until the butter has melted. Add the potatoes and mash. Season to taste and keep to one side.
- Melt the lard or dripping in a large deep pan. Add the onion and carrot and fry for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the ground lamb and one-third of the beef stock to the onion and carrot mixture and cook, stirring constantly until all the meat is browned. Add the remaining stock, parsley and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.
- Mash the flour into the remaining 1 tbsp butter then add in small pieces to the ground meat sauce, stirring until all the flour has dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly, approx 5 mins.
- Place the meat sauce into an 8"X 3"/ 20cm X 7cm deep ceramic of glass ovenproof dish and cover with the mashed potato. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the potato and bake in the heated oven for 30 - 35 mins until the surface is crisp and browned. Serve immediately.
Small Bites
Photo © istock
Yorkshire Puddings feature frequently in the Harry Potter books and films and are a perfect party food. Rather than make dinner size portions in 12-hole muffin tins make tiny, bite sized puddings in
mini muffin pans. Cooked Yorkshire Puddings make great savory or sweet treats. Pop chunks of cooked sausages into each pudding for bite-sized
"Toad in the Holes" or a blob of strawberry jam for the sweet-toothed.
Another food loved by Hogwarts pupils are
Cornish Pasties. Adapt the recipe to make mini sized pasties to eat at the party by shaping the pastry into 8 instead of 4.
Watch my Video on How to Make Perfect Yorkshire Puddings or How to Make Cornish Pasties
Stodgy Puddings and Sweet Desserts
Cold British weather and all that wizardry and witchcraft needs hefty British Puddings to keep energy levels up. A
Spotted Dick, a
Treacle Tart or a
Rhubarb Crumble will all do the trick. Spotted Dick isn't the easiest pudding to make but as it very filling can be cut into at least 12 slices - even Dudley Dursley couldn't eat more than one slice.
If stodgy puddings are too much then a tray of warm
Rock Cakes are quick and easy to make and always a welcome treat. Even simpler is an
Easy English Trifle or dish of splodgy
Eton Mess.
Sweets and Candies
No party would be complete with out a selection of Harry's favorite sweets and candies.
Marshmallows ,
Fudge , and
Nut Brittle, and my favorite
Sticky Treacle Toffee. All the sweets and candy recipes are very easy to make so no excuse to not make lots.
Harry Potter Fun Stuff
The drink Butterbeer pops up all over the Harry Potter books, About.com's Guide to Home Cooking, Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, has developed this yummy recipe for a non-alcoholic version for kids and adults alike.
Butterbeer Recipe
How about an edible wand from Sherri Osborn, Guide to Family Crafts
