Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Harry Potter

Alas, we have come to the end of the Harry Potter saga and it has been bittersweet for me. When Harry Potter was first released and there was such fervor regarding the books and movies, I was one of those people that swore I would never read a book or see a movie. Well, I have certainly had to eat those words on all accounts. It started when I happened upon "Sorcerer's Stone" on HBO one day and I have been hooked ever since. I have read all the books, seen all the movies. I have cheered, laughed and cried while following Harry on his epic journey. When I first discovered Harry, I hadn't even had my first child yet. Now that she has turned 5, she too has found a love for this story. With the last movie in the series released on Friday, I decided a fitting way to say goodbye to Mr. Potter would be with a few Potter inspired recipes. I scoured the interned and discovered Butterbeer and pumpkin pasties. I took a little liberty myself with the Cornish pastie and made what I like to call the Pizza Pastie. My daughter and I had so much fun creating these dishes and snuggling under a blanket to watch "They Deathly Hallows Pt. 1". It was a family fun night indeed. So to all my friends who are Harry Potter fans, here's a Butterbeer to you and I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I did!!!

Butterbeer
adapted from Bakingdom

Homemade Butterbeer
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

FOR THE BUTTERBEER
6 12-ounce bottles chilled cream soda [I prefer IBC (which is vegan) or Polar Classics Vanilla, but any will work perfectly], substitute diet cream soda for a still yummy sugar-free version
3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) imitation butter flavor
OPTIONAL – 1 ounce light rum, per serving, for adults only

FOR THE FOAM
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons sugar, or splenda for sugar free version
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons imitation butter (if using clarified butter, double the amount to 3 teaspoons, or 1 tablespoon)

To make the butterbeer: Set out 6 16-ounce glasses. Place 1/2 teaspoon of imitation butter glass. Pour 12 ounces of butterbeer into each glass, over the butter. Lightly stir, if necessary.

To make the foam: In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, whip the heavy cream on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and continue whipping until very soft peaks begin to form, another 3-4 minutes (if you need to whip more or less, then be sure to do so, the times can vary quite a bit based on environment). Stir in the vanilla and imitation butter, then whip for another 30 seconds or so, until soft peaks form.

Spoon a generous portion of foam on top of each glass of butterbeer, mixing gently, if desired (or spoon the foam into the bottom of the glass and pour the butterbeer over the top). Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Pasties
adapted from Ezra Poundcake

3/4 CUP SUGAR
1 TEASPOON GROUND CINNAMON
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
3/4 TEASPOON GROUND GINGER
1/2 TEASPOON NUTMEG
1/4 TEASPOON GROUND CLOVES
2 LARGE EGGS
1 CAN (15 OUNCES) LIBBY’S® 100% PURE PUMPKIN
1 CAN (12 OUNCES) EVAPORATED MILK
PIE DOUGH, ENOUGH FOR TWO 9-INCH CRUSTS (REFRIGERATED PACKAGED DOUGH OR HOMEMADE)
1 EGG, SEPARATED
1 TABLESPOON CREAM
OPTIONAL: CINNAMON-SUGAR MIXTURE (1/2 CUP SUGAR + 1 TO 2 TABLESPOONS CINNAMON)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish or pie plate with butter, and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture.
Gradually add the evaporated milk, and stir to combine. Transfer the pumpkin filling to your prepared dish, and bake for 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake for 30 minutes. Cool the pumpkin filling on a wire rack. Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

When the filling is cool, lightly dust your counter or another flat surface with flour. Roll out each crust to about 1/16-inch-thick (a little thicker than a tortilla), and cut the dough into 4-inch circles. (You can reroll the trimmings to make additional circles, but only do it once, or they’ll be tough.) Put about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each dough circle.
Working with one circle of dough at a time, brush some egg white on the edge of half of each circle to help seal them. Fold the circle in half, and crimp the edges with the tines of a fork. Place the pasty on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat with the rest of the pasties.
Cut three small slits at the top of each pasty, and lightly brush them with egg wash (made by combining the egg yolk and cream). Sprinkle the pasties with sugar. Bake them for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. If desired, when the pasties come out of the oven, roll them in cinnamon and sugar before placing them on a wire rack to cool.

Pizza Pasties

1 9" refrigerated pie dough cut into 4 medium sized circles (I used a 6" cake pan as a guide when cutting)
1 cup pizza sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
egg wash (1 egg beaten with a little cream, water or milk)
your favorite pizza toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the four dough circles on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. In each circle, spoon in a tablespoon of pizza sauce and top with a couple tablespoons of cheese. Now you can top with your favorite pizza toppings. With the tip of your finger, rub a little egg wash around the edges of the dough and pull dough over to seal the pocket. With the tines of a fork, mash down the edges. Make two slits in the top of your pizza pocket and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.