Three Broomsticks

The day we'd all been waiting for had finally arrived.  We were going to Harry Potter Land!  That's what my kids call it and their excitement was unbridled!  I have to admit that I was a little excited too but it was because I desperately wanted to try Butterbeer.

We were told to get it frozen and to get it at the restaurant not the street carts.

This worked out well because after three hours of exploring Hogwarts....we were starving! Click here to read more about our visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

 We all enjoyed our Butterbeer very much and it was kind of like having dessert with your meal.  We each got a souvenir mug which I advise against because I think they are $10 each and now I have to store them.  I'd have been much happier with TWO mugs.  Bygones.

Look how cool we all look with our mugs!  Okay...maybe it was worth the money.  If you buy the mugs...you are supposed to be able to go to any counter service restaurant in the park and get free soda refills.  We didn't test this out because we forgot to bring our mugs the next day. Whoops!

Three Broomsticks is considered casual dining at Universal Studios but the food is outstanding.  They do have kids meals for $5 but my son had his heart set on Ribs.  They were very good and the potatoes that came with them made their way to my plate because they were better than the french fries that came with the Fish and Chips.

I love Fish and Chips and generally always order it when it's on a menu.  This was an exceptional meal because the breading was very light and the pieces of fish were large.  I really liked the tarter sauce too but ended up not using most of it because the breading on the fish was so flavorful that I didn't need it.

The atmosphere at Three Broomsticks is really fun!  You feel like you are really in an old English Pub and if you're lucky....you'll see the house elves scurrying around on the second floor.

Click here for Three Broomsticks full menu.

Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties

A few weeks ago, my kids and I borrowed this book from the library.

We were excited to find it because we are going to Universal Orlando in 110 days to visit Harry Potter!  My daughter Mallory and her Dad have been pouring over the recipes (for some reason she doesn't want to do this with me....growing pains) and found something they had to make.

Pumpkin Pasties.

I love  The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory--More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Muggles and Wizards and will be buy a copy for our home when this one is due back at the library because many of the recipes have a backstory on the recipe that goes along with the book.  Oh how we love those books!

Legend has it that Harry Potter bought one of these delicious pasties on the Hogwarts Express as he was traveling to school.

Pumpkin Pasties
adapted from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
Makes 6 pasties


Pastry Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into chunks
4-6 tablespoons ice water


Filling
1 cup canned pumpkin, not pie filling
1/4 cup sugar
a large pinch of ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Distribute the butter and shortening over the flour and pulse about 14 times until the mixture resembles course meal.


Relocate the mixture into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle 4 tablespoons of cold water over the top. Toss the mixture together with a spoon until it starts to hold together.  If it seems too dry, add a little bit more water.


Form the dough into a ball and then into a disk shape.  Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.


In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.  Preheat the over to 400 degrees and roll out the dough until it's 1/8 of an inch thick.  Use a saucer to cut out 6 inch circles.


Place 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each circle of dough.  Moisten the edges with water, fold the dough over the filling, and crimp with a fork to seal.  Cut slits to make vents.  


Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are brown.


Disclaimer: I have not been compensated for blogging about this cookbook.  I did so of my own volition.  I just like to share cool things with my readers.