Hello social distancers! Welcome to another installment of HP Saturday. As you may recall from my post on our COVID-19 experience, HP Saturday will now occur on the first Saturday of every month. Not a bad way to start a month, if you ask me. 🙂
As the pandemic continues to heavily influence our lives and infect thousands of people worldwide, hopefully all of us who are able to stay home are doing so. Viruses thrive largely because people come into some form of contact with infected people, so minimizing your contact with others is crucial. We need to do everything we can to minimize the risk to ourselves and others. Here’s a link to the CDC COVID-19 resource center if you’re looking for more info on how to help and how to take care of yourself. Also, a very heartfelt THANK YOU to all healthcare and essential workers who continue to show up every day to care for our people and keep our society functioning. Our gratitude for all you do cannot be overstated.
A big part of staying sane while staying inside is doing things that you enjoy and that put you in a positive headspace. Hopefully this post can bring some fun to your weekend, and I encourage you to do things that bring joy and some levity at a time when both are sorely needed. With that, please enjoy another HP Saturday!
A Recipe from the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
As usual, we’ll be taking a recipe out of this fabulous and magical cookbook. The more I familiarize myself with it, I can see just how thorough it is. They didn’t miss a single food item when creating this book!
Today, we’ll be covering crumpets. Crumpets are the stereotypical English teatime staple. They are as iconic as they are delicious. They’re very similar to an English muffin, but more dense. Crumpets are the perfect vehicle for toppings like butter, preserves, jam, or, if you want to get really British, clotted cream.
Connection to Harry Potter
Crumpets are mentioned when the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, invites Harry for tea in chapter three of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
When Fudge catches Harry right outside of the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, Harry is sure that he’s done for. After all, he engaged in the illegal use of magic when he blew up his aunt. He’s sure expulsion is on the horizon. However, imagine Harry’s surprise when teatime with the Minister is little more than a casual discussion.
“Well, Harry,” said Fudge, pouring out tea, “you’ve had us all in a right flap, I don’t mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle’s house like that! I’d started to think…but you’re safe, and that’s what matters.”
Fudge buttered himself a crumpet and pushed the plate toward Harry.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter Three
Of course, you and I know that there’s a lot more going on that’s hidden by Fudge’s calm demeanor in this scene. But it’s not every day in Harry’s life that he gets to have a low-key discussion over tea and crumpets, so we’ll let him have this.
The Recipe
Crumpets
Equipment
- 4 crumpet rings or 3¾-inch round cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsps butter melted
Instructions
- Grease your crumpet rings or cookie cutters as well as your skillet or griddle.
- Mix the dry ingredients together until combined.
- Once combined, add the milk and melted butter and mix until smooth. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1-1½ hours.
- Once it has risen, stir the mixture. Heat the skillet or griddle on low heat and place the crumpet rings on the surface. Pour about ⅓ cup of batter into each ring. Cook on low until holes cover the tops (approx. 5 minutes).
- Using tongs or oven mitts, remove the crumpet rings (USE CAUTION THEY WILL BE VERY HOT) and flip the crumpets. They should be pale on the bottom. Continue to cook until the other side is pale brown (about 5 more minutes). It's important to not let them get too brown, as they will be toasted before serving. Continue until all batter is used.
- To serve, toast the crumpets until golden brown and serve with the toppings of your choice such as butter, jelly, jam, preserves, and/or clotted cream.
- Remaining crumpets can be refrigerated until needed.
Let me know how yours come out in the comments below! Happy crumpet-ing!
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