Recipes: Harry Potter and the Pumpkin Pasties

I have two great loves of my life—Harry Potter and anything with a little pumpkin. Anyone who is relatively acquainted with me knows that I am absolutely obsessed with all things Harry Potter. I adore Harry Potter movie marathons and have voraciously consumed the books multiple times. As a child, I have a distinct memory of riding my bike down to the Palco Post Office in the rain to pick up the 5^th book when it was released just to get my hands on it. While in college, I took the Harry Potter literature class that the Department of English offers. I was on the e-mail list for the Harry Potter Alliance (until the founder wore a shirt titled “Wizards for Obama” and I reconsidered, but that is another story). So, it goes without saying that I’m a huge fan of all things Harry Potter, and I love the opportunity to bring anything from that magical world to life.

Tonight, I decided to combine my love for Harry Potter and my love for pumpkin into one great recipe. Pumpkin Pasties are a tasty treat often mentioned in the Harry Potter books, including an early appearance in Sorcerer’s Stone which bonds Harry and Ron forever after Harry offers some delicious treats to his new friend. In the movie, Harry’s line “We’ll take the lot” is often quoted from this scene. Of the whole lot of sweets (Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans- oh my!), I think that delicious and warm Pumpkin Pasties are a great symbol for friendship and empathy early in the series. And what a joy it is to whip some of these up as I’m preparing to head home for Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Pumpkin Pasties

Pasty Dough

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp of sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 stick of cold, salted butter, diced

1 package of cold cream cheese, cut into chunks

Instructions:

1. Place dry ingredients in medium bowl and mix together.
2. Add the cold, diced butter and mix in with dry ingredients until you have what looks like coarse bread crumbs.
3. Add in the pieces of cream cheese and mix until the dough is very clumpy.
4. Turn dough onto surface lightly dusted with flour and knead until the dough is smooth.
5. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Filling

Ingredients:

¾ cup of pumpkin puree

1 large egg

1 small pinch of ground cloves

¼ tsp of ground ginger

½ tsp of cinnamon

¼ tsp of salt

⅓ cup of sugar

Instructions:

1. In saucepan, heat pumpkin with cloves, ginger, and cinnamon on medium-low heat until warmed. Remove from heat.
2. Mix in egg, salt, and sugar. Set aside while you prepare the dough.

Pumpkin Pasty Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about ⅛-inch thick and cut with cookie cutter (I used a heart-shaped one this time). Place shapes onto a greased cookie sheet.
3. Spoon approximately a tablespoon amount of pumpkin filling within the shapes.
4. Create a matching shape to place over the top. Seal the edges by either folding over and pinching with your fingers, or crimping with a fork.
5. Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze each pasty with beaten egg mixed with a little milk or water. Sprinkle on some brown sugar, if desired.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and enjoy!

 A little background on pasty treats—I actually enjoyed some of these while I was in Scotland studying abroad. They are typically served with meat inside of them as a lunch snack, but here they also make an excellent, sweet treat.

I served mine with a little whipped cream on top, and enjoyed settling in with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Now it’s time for the dishes and packing for home. Hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving!

Cheers!

Taylor