Harry Potter Cookbook Pumpkin Juice Recipe

Container purchased at Wizarding World of Harry Potter, reusable container. You can get one at Amazon or ebay.

1 small pumpkin, known as sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin
2 cups apple Juice
1 cup white grape juice
1 cup pineapple juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the pumpkin in half pole to pole and scoop out the seeds. Place the pumpkin halves face down on a baking sheet and roast 45 minutes to 1 hour until soft. Remove from the oven.

When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Place the cooked pumpkin in a large fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and push the pumpkin through using a rubber spatula. Scrape and mash as you push; it will take several minutes. Discard the pulpy mass left in the sieve. Stir the sieved pumpkin in the bowl to evenly distribute the juices, and then measure out 1 cup.

Place the cup of sieved pumpkin in a pitcher along with the apple juice, white grape juice, and pineapple juice. Stir vigorously until the pumpkin is completely dispersed. Chill the juice until it's very cold.

Before serving, stir the juice well, as the pumpkin will settle to the bottom. Fill crystal goblets with ice cubes and pour the juice over the ice.

To save time: you could use canned pumpkin (not pie filling) instead of an actual pumpkin.

Recipe by Dinah Bucholz, Photo By Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Wizarding World of Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe

After our visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando I knew I wanted to brew Butterbeer at home. After searching my harry potter cookbook I realized its not in there! How can you have a harry potter cookbook with out butterbeer :(   So I turned to my good friend, Google.  I found a recipe tested it out and it tastes just like the butterbeer that is served in the park. So this May for Mothers Day we had a harry potter party with meals and drinks from the cookbook, be sure to check out my other harry potter recipes! Enjoy!

1 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
4 12 ounce cream sodas

Directions:

Prep Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

1. In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.
2. Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.
4. In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

Recipe from food.com, Photos by Laura Spear from Mothers Day 2011

Bon Appétit,

Skinny Girl Pina Colada only 173 calories

This recipe makes 4 servings at 173 calories per serving.  Regular Pina Colada has 644 calories

Ice (enough to fill half a blender)


½ cup lite coconut milk

¼ cup pure pineapple juice ( use Lakewood Organic brand, which has a low sugar content)

4 shots of clear rum

Fill the ice half way up the blender bowl. Pour in the coconut milk, pineapple juice, and the Rum.

Blend the mixture until a slushy consistency. Divide the drink between four glasses and enjoy!

Recipe by Bethany Frankel in her Naturally thin book, Photos by Laura Spear

Skinny Girl Margarita only 100 calories

Bethany Frankel one of the stars from The Real Housewives of New York City, is a celebrity health food chef as well as a reality TV star. She makes the skinny girl margaritas that are only 100 calories! All the margaritas taste you love without the calories. A regular margarita will run you 453 calories.

•2 oz of Clear Premium Tequila (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)

•Tiny splash of Orange Liquor

•Juice of 4 Fresh Lime Wedges


1.To serve on the rocks, combine all ingredients over a glass of ice and garnish with a lime wedge

Recipe by Bethany Frankel, Photo by Laura Spear

Mango Margarita

Ingredients


For the Mango Margarita Mix:

1 1/4 pounds fresh mangoes

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

Gray salt

For the drink:

3 cups ice

1 1/2 cups Mango Margarita Mix

4 ounces tequila

2 ounces triple sec

Lime wedges

Mint Salt, recipe follows

Directions

Peel and pit the mangoes and cut them into large chunks. Place the mango in a blender with the water, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more sugar, if necessary.

Fill the blender with ice and add the Mango Margarita Mix, tequila, and triple sec. Blend until smooth. Rub the rim of a margarita glass with a lime wedge and dip into Mint Salt to coat rim. Fill glass and enjoy!


Mint Salt:

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup gray salt or coarse sea salt

Clean and dry mint and roughly chop. With a mortar and pestle, crush equal parts fresh mint and salt.

Yield: about 1 cup salt

Recipe and pic from food network

Jalapeno Margaritas

Directions


Make a big batch of margaritas with a twist. Pulse 1 thin slice jalapeno, a handful of celery leaves, 6 ounces fresh lime juice and a spoonful of confectioners' sugar in a blender. Mix with 16 ounces tequila and 8 ounces orange liqueur in a pitcher; chill. Serve on the rocks in salt-rimmed glasses.



Recipe and pic from food network

Simple Syrup

Simple (or sugar) syrup is, as the name implies, very simple to make and is an essential item to stock in any bar. You will find it in many mixed drinks including Mojitos, Daiquiris and Hurricanes. This sweetener is primarily used as a substitute for raw sugar and adds rich volume, but can be made in a variety of ways.
Making your own simple syrup is also more economical than buying it at the store. You can make as small or as large a batch as you wish and store it in the refrigerator in a well sealed bottle for around 6 months.



Rich Simple Syrup:
With this variation you can use less syrup than a cocktail calls for.

Cook Time: 0 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 parts sugar
1 part water
Preparation:

Bring the water to a boil.
Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water, stirring constantly.
Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat. (Note: Do not allow the syrup to boil for too long or the syrup will be too thick.)
Allow to cool completely and thicken, then bottle.
To prolong the shelf life of your simple syrup, add a little vodka - usually between a tablespoon and an ounce, depending on how large the batch of syrup is.

Demerara Syrup:
Replacing white sugar with Demerara sugar (a raw sugar) is a popular alternative because it has a richer sugar flavor. The drawback to using this light brown sugar is that it will alter the color of cocktails and while the difference is noticeable, the taste makes up it. Another option is to use turbinado or brown sugars.

Bar Simple Syrup:
The easiest way to make simple syrup does not require a stove and can be made in minutes. Simply combine equal parts (1:1) sugar and water in a bottle and shake it until the sugar is completely dissolved. The result is a syrup that is thinner than rich simple syrup.

Flavor-infused simple syrups:
Simple syrup can also be infused with flavor and used in a variety of cocktails to add a unique twist.

Sazerac Cocktail

It all began for the Sazerac cocktail in the early 1800's when Antoine Amedee Peychaud mixed Cognac with his Peychaud bitters. In 1859 the drink was the signature drink of the Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans, where it received its name. The exact reason for the substitution of rye whiskey for the Cognac is unclear, but the whiskey base is used today. The cocktail also originally used absinthe, which although making a comeback, is difficult to find and can be substituted with Herbsaint, Pernod or Absente.
Ingredients:

3 oz rye whiskey
3/4 oz simple syrup
Peychaud bitters to taste
absinthe or absinthe substitute
lemon twist for garnish
Preparation:

Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling it with ice and letting it sit while preparing the rest of the drink.
In a separate mixing glass, muddle the simple syrup and Peychaud bitters together.
Add the rye whiskey and ice to the bitters mixture and stir.
Discard the ice in the chilled glass and rinse it with absinthe (or substitute) by pouring a small amount into the glass, swirling it around and discarding the liquid.
Fill the rinsed glass with crushed ice.
Strain the whiskey mixture from the mixing glass into the old fashioned glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist. Traditionalists will say that the lemon twist should be squeezed over the drink to release its essences but that the twist should not be dropped into the glass itself.

Pimm's Cup from Napoleon House in New Orleans

I enjoyed this drink in New Orleans at Napoleon House in New Orleans http://www.napoleonhouse.com/ Out of all the drinks we tried this one was my Mother's favorite and when we returned home she order the Pimm's No 1 right away so she could enjoy it at home anytime.

Pimm's Cup Recipe 1:

The Pimm's Cup is really just one of the preferred ways to drink a particular distilled spirit, and so the drink took on the brand name. That liqueur is Pimm's No. 1 Cup, a gin based spirit with the flavor of fruit and spice and adding a mixer as subtle as lemonade enhances its character and turns it into a refreshing drink. Ginger ale or lemon-lime soda are occasionally used to replace the lemonade and at other times club soda is added to the original recipe. This drink is known to be popular in Southern England.
Ingredients:

2 oz Pimm's No. 1
3 oz lemonade
lemon twist for garnish
cucumber slice or peel for garnish
Preparation:

Pour the Pimm's into a collins glass with ice cubes.
Add the lemonade and (if desired) a splash of club soda or lemon-lime soda.
Garnish with the lemon twist and cucumber.
Pimm's Rangoon: Substitute ginger ale for the soda.

Pimm's Royal: Substitute Champagne for the soda.



Pimm's Cup Recipe 2:

Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based potation made in England from dry gin, liqueur, fruit juices, and spices. Served with lemon soda or ginger ale, it becomes a Pimm’s Cup. Pimm’s No. 1 was created in the mid-18th century by English oyster bar owner James Pimm. The recipe is still a secret; supposedly, only six people know exactly how it is made. It has a dark, golden brown color, a medium body, and a taste of quinine, citrus fruits, and spice. Its low alcohol content of only 25 percent has made Pimm’s a drink to have when you are having more than one. As was customary at the time, Pimm served the cocktail in tankards—hence the name Pimm’s Cup. The rage for this relative of the Sling became so great that Pimm mass-produced and bottled it along with Pimm’s 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6: whiskey, brandy, rum, rye, and vodka, respectively. Detractors have likened the earthy mixture to liquid dirt mellowed by iodine, but the Pimm’s Cup is still the traditional drink of Wimbledon, with visitors to the matches consuming some 40,000 pints a year. The addition of a cucumber slice gives the drink some truck as a health food. Some.

INGREDIENTS
2 ounces Pimm’s No. 1
7UP, lemon-lime soda, or ginger ale
Slice of lemon
Slice of cucumber
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour the Pimm’s and 7UP into a chilled highball glass or metal cup over ice. Squeeze a slice of lemon well as you drop it in the glass; then stir gently and garnish with a cucumber slice.

Hot Toddy

Scott makes these for me all the time when I'm sick or have a sore throat. It really does help your throat and coat your stomach with a nice warm feeling. We love these!


Warm and toasty and just in time for winter, the Hot Toddy is a classic hot drink. Feel free to experiment with your favorite types of tea or skip it all together and use hot water alone. Most black and green teas mix well with the sweetness of the honey and lemon, but from there it's a personal preference and some interesting toddies are possible. There is also a Gin Toddy that is a great variation of this warm cocktail.
View video: How to Make a Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

1 oz brandy, whiskey or rum
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 lemon
1 cup hot water
1 tea bag
Preparation:

Coat the bottom of a mug or an Irish coffee glass with honey.
Add the liquor and the juice of the lemon quarter.
On the side, heat water in a tea kettle and add the tea bag to make hot tea.
Pour the steaming tea into the glass and stir.

Hurricane Drink

Great Drink that I enjoyed in New Orleans at Pat O'Briens if you haven't been there yet I recommend it!

The Hurricane became popular at Pat O'Briens bar in 1940's New Orleans, apparently debuted at the 1939 World's Fair and was named after the hurricane lamp-shaped glasses the first drinks were served in. It's said that O'Brien created the heavily rummed drink as a means to get rid of the large stock of rum his Southern distributors forced him to buy.

Ingredients:

2 oz light rum
2 oz dark rum
2 oz passion fruit juice
1 oz orange juice
juice of a half a lime
1 Tbsp simple syrup
1 Tbsp grenadine
orange slice and cherry for garnish
Preparation:

Squeeze juice from half a lime into shaker over ice.
Pour the remaining ingredients into the cocktail shaker.
Shake well.
Strain into a hurricane glass.
Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

Recipe by Southern Comfort

Bobby Flays Vanilla Almond Milkshake

You will need:

1/2 cup of almonds (toasted if desired)

3/4 cup of milk (use whole if you like a creamy taste, I use fat free)

1 tablespoon of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 teaspoon of pure almond extract

16 ounces of premium vanilla ice cream (I use fat free)

cool whip (I use fat free)

I use a food processor and combine the ice cream, almonds, and milk.   Then i blend in the sugar vanilla and almond extracts.

Pour the milkshake into glasses and top with a scoop of soft cool whip.

You can stick some slivers of almonds on top the cool whip for presentation of desired.