This month’s installment of HP Saturday is inspired not by a dish eaten in the Harry Potter world but rather by one of the unique passwords to the Gryffindor common room.
The Fat Lady is the infamous keeper of the common room, and her creative passwords are an iconic and fun element in the books. With such examples as “pig snout,” “flibbertigibbet,” and “abstinence,” they always add a delightful dash of whimsy. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, one of the passwords references a very quick and extremely delicious sweet treat–banana fritters.
On Thursday night, Harry sneaked up to bed, put on the cloak, crept back downstairs, and, just as he had done on the night when Hagrid had shown him the dragons, waited for the portrait hole to open. This time it was Ron who waited outside to give the Fat Lady the password (“banana fritters”). “Good luck,” Ron muttered, climbing into the room as Harry crept out past him.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 25
Context
At this point in the book, Harry is involved in the Triwizard Tournament, a magical contest among the most prominent European wizard schools. The Tournament consists of various tasks that each schools representative, or champion, must complete. The first task required each champion to retrieve a golden egg from a dragon. Harry is trying to figure out the secrets of the egg on the occassion he sneaks out referenced in the quote above.
Banana Fritters
Banana fritters are a tasty and sweet treat that will delight banana lovers.
Here’s the recipe:
Banana Fritters with Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 tbsps water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsps butter
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Fritters
- ½ cup all purpose
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsps white sugar
- 2 tbsps butter melted & cooled
- oil for frying
- 3 ripe but firm bananas sliced at an angle into ¼-inch slices
Instructions
- For the caramel sauce, in a small saucepan, cook the sugar and water cover medium heat and stir constantly. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns a deep amber color.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream and butter; the mixture will bubble up violently. Stir until it turns back into liquid; if hard lumps of the caramelized sugar remain, stir over low heat until they liquify. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until combined. Add the melted butter to the egg mixture and whisk until combined. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.
- Fill a large skillet with enough oil to come ¼ inch up the sides. Heat the oil until it begins to simmer. Using a fork, coat the banana slices in the batter and fry in the oil until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- Drizzle caramel sauce on the fritters and serve.
This recipe is from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. Be sure to be careful when melting the sugar for the caramel sauce. It gets hot!
I highly recommend this one! Give it a try and let me know what you think. And thanks to the Fat Lady for the inspiration.
Just an FYI, this page contains affiliate links. This doesn’t affect the price for you, but I may receive a small compensation from any items bought from this site. Fear not, however, my picks and and blurbs are all my own!
