Sweet and spooky magic in the kitchen
52 Weeks of Cooking, Week 44: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
“The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by an invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter… or at least, most minds are…”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
This week’s theme was Halloween, and at our house, there’s really only one choice for a Halloween-themed meal: Harry Potter.
After all, October through December is Potter season, because Harry Potter is one of those rare pieces of pop culture that feels appropriate at both Halloween and Christmas (The Nightmare Before Christmas is another).
I’ve made dishes from the Potter series before, including chocolate frogs and butterbeer, but there’s plenty more to tackle. For this week, I made a sweet version of pumpkin pasties and a spooky version of a British classic, shepherd’s pie.
The book(s)
Like most millennials, the Harry Potter series was a key part of my life and the books are attached to some of my core memories. I read the first book when I was 13, only a few years older than Harry. I read the last book right after I’d graduated college and was trying to figure out my first grown-up job. I remember binge-reading Goblet of Fire on a 12-hour road trip back from my grandma’s house; I refused to get out of the car until I’d finished it. My grandma passed away the same summer Half-Blood Prince came out, and when Dumbledore died, I cried not just for Harry, but also for my own loss. I’ve attended midnight showings of the movies and Harry Potter-themed parties, I drank butterbeer at Universal Studios Harry Potter world and I even got to visit Edinburgh Castle, the inspiration for Hogwarts, and see the bookshop where Rowling wrote the first pages.
My fiance and stepson love the books too. Our house is full of Harry Potter Lego sets and my stepson listens to audiobooks ad nauseum (there are days where I think I would rather be petrified by the basilisk rather than hear Jim Dale’s voice on more time).
Yes, Rowling’s political views are very problematic and the books have some holes in their plot and world-building that don’t make sense. But I think I’ll always love them, in the way you love things from childhood, because when you were young, they were magic.
Out of all the books, The Order of the Phoenix is my favorite. The plot is dark and epic, but for me what really sets it apart from the other books in the series (or at least the previous four) are the characters. The previous books usually culminate in Harry saving the day or battling evil, sometimes alone, sometimes with the help of his sidekicks, Ron and Hermione. Regardless of what he goes through, Harry remains a humble and genuinely nice guy throughout. But in book 5, this changes. Harry becomes a whiny teenager. Is this because he’s seen Voldemort come back and kill someone and no one believes him? Is it because he’s feeling Voldemort’s emotions through their connection? Or is it simply because he is going through his whiny teenage phase? It’s unclear, but it turns him from just another hero into an interesting and relatable character. He lashes out at his friends and Dumbledore, he defies authority and doesn’t think before he acts, leading him to make mistakes he genuinely regrets at the end of the novel. And while you roll your eyes at his 15-year-old melodrama, you love him all the more for it, because you also remember what it’s like to be 15 and feel like no one understands you.
The food
I attempted a savory version of pumpkin pasties for last year’s cooking challenge, filling each pasty with canned pumpkin, onions, feta and red pepper flakes. Pumpkin, unfortunately, is a very bland vegetable, so the pasties weren’t that flavorful.
My fiance loves pumpkin pie — it’s his favorite thing on the Thanksgiving table — so even though sweet pumpkin dishes are not traditionally British, this week’s pasties are filled with sweet pumpkin custard and topped with a sugary glaze.
First, I made a pumpkin pudding following this recipe from Food52. Once the custard is baked and cooled, scoop out 1/4 cup portions and freeze them on a baking sheet. This ensures the custard doesn’t get overbaked when you put it in the pasties.
While the custard is freezing, roll out your pie crust. I used store bought to save time, but you can also make your own. Cut the pastry in circles about 5.5-6 inches in diameter.
Fill the pastries with the frozen pumpkin custard, fold over and crimp. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, until the pastry takes on some color. I glazed these while still warm with an icing made of powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.
For the main dish: Shepherd’s pie. We make shepherd’s or cottage pie frequently during the colder months; for Halloween, I added a “spooky” twist by turning the mashed potatoes on top into ghosts. Saute the meat, vegetables and seasoning just as you would for a regular cottage pie. Pour the mixture into a baking dish, top with shredded cheddar and bake until the cheese melts.
While the first layer of the pie is baking, prep the mashed potatoes and cook some peas for eyes. Make sure the potatoes are smooth, with no large chunks, since you’re going to pipe them.
Once the meat layer is finished baking, pipe the mashed potato ghosts, decorated with peas for eyes. Serve extra mashed potatoes on the side.
The verdict? A smash hit, especially the pumpkin pasties. I’ll definitely make these again, but I think I’ll try adding an egg wash and tossing them in cinnamon sugar, instead of doing a glaze — it made them too sticky to eat with your hands.