A review by prioryofprose
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory--More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Wizards and Non-Wizards Alike by Dinah Bucholz

5.0








Bangers and mash with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Hogwarts dining hall. A proper cuppa tea and rock cakes in Hagrid's hut.

Cauldron cakes and pumpkin juice on the Hogwarts Express.

With
this cookbook, dining a la Hogwarts is as easy as Banoffi Pie! With
more than 150 easy-to-make recipes, tips, and techniques, you can
indulge in spellbindingly delicious meals drawn straight from the pages
of your favorite Potter stories, such as:

Treacle Tart--Harry's
favorite dessert, Molly's Meat Pies--Mrs. Weasley's classic dish,
Kreacher's French Onion Soup, Pumpkin Pasties--a staple on the Hogwarts
Express cart

With a dash of magic and a drop of creativity, you'll
conjure up the entries, desserts, snacks, and drinks you need to
transform ordinary Muggle meals into magickal culinary masterpieces,
sure make even Mrs. Weasley proud!





I thought of the Bookies Become Foodies week and was excited to make and share some creations from my favorite reads. Then, when I came to actually deciding what to make, I had nothing. Complete brain fart. So, Amazon to the rescue. I found an amazing cookbook I had to add immediately to my library. Harry Potter is my favorite series. I cannot wait to get to Universal Studios, so in the mean time, I am living a little piece of Harry Potter in my own kitchen.








Rock Cakes were eaten by multiple times in the book. Hagrid loved them, although they were a lot more like rocks than cakes when Hagrid made them. The cakes appear in The Sorcerer's Stone, The Goblet of Fire and The Half Blood Prince! This recipe is found on page 53. 





2 cups all-purpose flour


1/2 cup granulated sugar


1 tsp baking powder


1/2 tsp cinnamon


1/4 tsp salt


1 stick butter - cold, cut into chunks


1 large egg


1/3 cup whole milk


1 cup raisins





Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and flour a large cookie sheet. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. With your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture reaches the consistency of wet sand.


Beat the egg together with the milk and pour it into the flour-butter mixture. Fold it together using a spatula to form a stiff dough. Fold in the raisins. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. 


Bake 25 minutes or until the bottoms are golden, rotating the pan midway through baking. 


Makes 12









I am not sure why, but this Treacle Fudge recipe peeked my interest. I love fudge, the texture, the sweetness - so dreamy. With the addition of molasses, I had to try it. The note in the margin of the book stated that "some speculate that a batch of caramels came out wrong - fudged - but it seems it was invented in the United States." I have never had fudge that wasn't chocolate or peanut butter, so this was a fun new baking adventure. It looked like a lot of steps in the directions, but with my mixer, it was fairly easy.



1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed dark sugar

1 stick butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoon  black treacle or dark molasses

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract



Grease an 8x8 inch square pan and set aside. Combine the sugars, butter, heavy cream treacle and cream of tartar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined. Was down the sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in hot water if sugar crystals form on the sides, to prevent recrystallization. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot and continue to cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on the candy thermometer.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow the bubbles to subside and the mixture to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove the thermometer and beat or stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture loses its gloss and is very thick, 15 to 20 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 it.

Cool completely before cutting into 1-inch squares.

Makes 64 pieces



I cannot wait to get to see these treats in the Honeydukes Shop - but while I wait and plan my next vacation, I will definitely make more treats from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook!




https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8281069-the-unofficial-harry-potter-cookbook?from_search=true&search_version=service









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