I’ve been trying to not make a big deal about when I’m posting posts. You know, just acting casual like I’m a regular blogger with a regular posting schedule BUT OMG THIS IS MY FIRST FOOD POST IN A YEAR!
Isn’t that nuts?! With this place being a “food” blog you would think I was pumping out food posts often. Nope! That’s what happens when someone gets burnt out, folks. It’s why I have been posting so many other different types of posts lately. Trying to get more variety here on my once food, now lifestyle blog. I think I’m doing pretty good with the variety too, I think. Well, I like to think so. ANYWAY, let’s get to it!
I chose this to get back in the kitchen because it’s something I’ve seriously been wanting to make for years. Every October I say to myself maybe this year I’ll make them. And every year I always find an excuse. But not this time! With both the kids in school and the urge to want to get back into baking stuff, I felt it’s high time to make my unicorn. Pumpkin Pasties from Harry Potter!
I guess you can call me a Potter nerd (Pothead? No wait, bad term). I’m an absolute sucker for whatever has to do with the universe. Movies, books, music, you name it and I’ll dig it. I’ve gone on record talking about my dorkiness reaching dangerous levels and going as far as listening to podcasts dedicated to Potter fanfics. I’m a fan, alright, let’s just leave it at that. You should know this by now already, that we’re a Potter house. Look at how awesomely cute my kids were when they coordinate for Halloween.
To prove it, let’s get into the backstory here to see where Pumpkin Pasties made their debut: In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the book that started it all and has many firsts for Harry and the readers, he’s sharing a car with Ron on The Hogwarts Express. I’m sure you’re familiar with the scene if you know the movie/book. Well, in the movie, Harry buys the lot of trolly sweets and shares them with Ron as they talk about Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavor Beans, and Chocolate Frogs. However, what you don’t see in the movie – but read about in detail in the book – is how the first thing Harry tries and ultimately shares with Ron is a Pumpkin Pasty.
I always thought the Pumpkin Pasty stood out immensely in this interaction between the characters. How it was the first thing shared between Harry and Ron, two kids on a train who would later find themselves on countless adventures together. It was made clear how this was the first time Harry had ever had something to share let alone someone he wanted to share it with. It’s a powerful message about Harry that all hangs on the shareable qualities of a Pumpkin Pasty. Not to mention it just sounds intriguingly tasty!
Care for an excerpt? Yeah, I think I can do that, right? *clears throat*
Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, ‘Anything off the trolley, dears?’
Harry, who hadn’t had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron’s ears went pink again and he muttered that he’d brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.
He had never had any money for sweets with the Dursleys and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry – but the woman didn’t have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.
Ron stared as Harry brought it all back into the compartment and tipped it on to an empty seat.
‘Hungry, are you?’
‘Starving,’ said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.
Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches in there. He pulled one of them apart and said, ‘She always forgets I don’t like corned beef.’
‘Swap you for one of these,’ said Harry, holding up a pasty. ‘Go on -‘
‘You don’t want this, it’s all dry,’ said Ron. ‘She hasn’t got much time,’ he added quickly, ‘you know, with five of us.’
‘Go on, have a pasty,’ said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry’s pasties and cakes (the sandwiches lay forgotten).
See! See why I’ve been wanting to make these forever?! Geeze, this is the bad thing about getting into things. I’m weak, I let it get to me and it doesn’t stop and the next thing you know I’m wearing my Potter shirts, reading the books for like the third time between movie marathons with the family. Fun fact: I burnt the wife out once with those Harry Potter Weekends on ABC Family (now Freeform) that she banned them from being played for a while. Good times!
Anyway, let’s get to it then. The Pumpkin Pasties are simple. I was starting research on how to go about making them and what would be the best dough to make, should I infuse it with lemon zest, does the filling need egg, should I follow the recipe from the been-unofficial-for-so-long-it-may-as-well-be-called-the-Official-Harry-Potter Unofficial Cookbook? In the end I used my better judgement and just threw myself in the kitchen and put on a lab coat and went to town.
The dough was the hardest to get right. Let me tell ya. Countless hours of testing and getting it perfect. I never thought I’d ever make so much dough in my life. It was so much that we couldn’t eat it all and I felt terrible because it tasted good but it wasn’t perfect for the recipe.
……..So I dough-nated most of it.
Ok, that’s it, I think I won the internet for the day with that one. I made up for the years of no food posts in one simple pun, I’m quite pleased with myself.
Anyway, I was totally lying about the dough. It was store bought and I have no regrets. Times be crazy and life is a runaway train right now. I ain’t got time to be making dough and letting it rest and making sure the butter is cut and chunky in there and all that mess. Nope, store bought rolled up dough like a freaking boss, and it was magnificent.
So let’s get to it to see how it came together! Start to finish you can be done making these in about 30-45 minutes depending on how long you wait for them to cool before glazing. So while this is getting posted a little later in the month than I was planning, you still have plenty of time to whip them up for an awesome Harry Potter themed treat for Halloween!
Pumpkin Pasties (inspired from Harry Potter)
Ingredients
Pasty
- 1 package - Refrigerated Pie Crust
- 1 can - Pumpkin Puree
- 2 tbls - Butter,, melted
- 1 tbls - Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp - Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 tsp - Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp - Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbls - Granulated Sugar
- 2 tbls - Brown Sugar
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups - Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbls - Whole Milk
- 1/2 tsp - Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp - Cinnamon
- as needed - Turbinado Sugar,, sprinkled
Egg Wash
Instructions
For the pies
- Turn the oven on to 400 degrees F.
- Add everything minus the pie dough into a bowl and mix well and set aside.
- Follow the preparation instructions on the box for the pie dough. Use a biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter, or just a regular ol' cup to cut circles in the dough. (see notes for more info)
- Take a dough circle and place roughly 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin mixture in the center. The amount of mixture depends on how big the circles are, but it shouldn't be that off.
- Dip your finger in water and dampen the edges around the entire circle. Fold the dough over as if you were making an empanada or dumpling, and try to squeeze out whatever air is inside.
- Fold edges over on each other to give the pasties a more rustic look. (see notes for more info)
- Place on a parchment lined sheet tray and cut a slit on the top so air can vent out.
- Once all the pasties are laid out on the tray, get an egg wash (one egg mixed with a splash of water) and brush it on the pasties.
- Place in the oven for 15-17 minutes depending on your oven.
- Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.
For the glaze
- Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. (see notes for more info)
Finishing off
- When the pasties are cooled, drop one, top up, into the glaze. Raise it out with a fork and let the excess glaze drip off.
- Place back on the cooling rack and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
- Let the glaze set. Or not. Whatever, you savage.
Notes
- When baking for sweets and using dough, I like to roll it out with powdered sugar. Does that make me a monster? I don't think so.
- I used to have a biscuit cutter that I used for biscuits (imagine that) but it would have been perfect for this. Rust ruined that so I was MacGyver and just used a kid's cup to cut the dough. What I'm saying is use what you got.
- I went with a 4 inch diameter for my circles. This gave me a nice sized pastie and exactly what I was looking for. I didn't want a huge hand pie I was going to be snacking on for ten minutes.
- But hey, if that's what you want, go for it. Just use more mixture for the filling.
- Now, the folding. When you apply the water and you're closing the pasty, there are a few ways you can do it.
- Use a fork: This will give you a very traditional looking empanada. I did my first batch like this and thought it was how I was going to be doing it. Then...
- Use your hands: Then I had the leftover dough. The scraps after I cut everything I could with my cup. I flattened out the scraps and just made a pasty by folding the edges over on themselves. Kind of how you would fold a dumpling if you crimped it.
- If you asked me which way you should do it, I would say use your hands every time. I loved the look of the hand folded ones so much compared to the fork. It gave it a much more rustic look. The pasty that is prominent in my photos is the one that was made from scraps. More dough and thicker than the others. Coincidentally, it was also my favorite one to eat. But I would still use a cutter of some sort for the sake of consistency.
- For the glaze, I flavored it with vanilla extract because I didn't have anything else. If you have another flavoring you like to use then go for it. Don't be afraid of substituting pumpkin spice for cinnamon either.
I don’t know if it’s my love for Harry Potter, or my love for pumpkin treats in the fall, but something about these has me loving them. Only way to make them better would be to somehow imprint the Hufflepuff sigil on there, because you know, we’re the best.
That wasn’t very Hufflepuff of me to say was it? Sorry, pride in my house, it gets the best of me sometimes.
