Pumpkin Pasties
from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz
Ingredients:
Pastry Crust:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
5 tbsp cold butter, cut into chunks
3 tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into chunks
4-6 tablespoons ice water
Mincemeat Filling:
1 cup canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
¼ cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter and shortening over the flour mixture. Pulse about 15 times until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal, with no white powdery bits remaining.
2. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of cold water over the mixture. Toss the mixture together with a spatula until it starts clumping together. If it’s too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time (better too wet than too dry). Gather the dough into a ball and pat it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a least 1 hour.
3. Combine the pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick. Use a saucer to cut out 6-inch circles.
4. Put 2 to 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 the edges. Cut slits to make vents. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 30 minutes or until browned.
Makes 6 pasties
