Pumpkin Pasties for #TheBookClubCookbookCC

Can you believe we're already at month five in #thebookclubcookbookCC, a year-long journey to explore - and cook from - The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp?!* It's been a great run so far. We are taking a brief hiatus for December, so you'll see us back in the new year.

Judy, Vicki, and their publisher, Tarcher-Penguin, have provided the hosting bloggers with copies of the book plus copies to giveaway each month of the project. Woohoo. Incredibly generous.

This month Erin at The Spiffy Cookie has selected Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.** Click to read Erin's invitation: here.

The recipe Judy and Vicki shared for the cookbook selection is for Treacle Tart. Treacle, to Brits, refers to everything from sticky molasses to golden syrup and is an essential component of their beloved treacle tart. Encased in a buttery shortbread crust is a molten goo of golden syrup drowning bread crumbs and lemon zest.

On the Page...
As incredulous as this may sound: I have never read any of the Harry Potter books - not a single one. I tried several years ago and it just didn't grab me. I did, however, take one of my cousins to a midnight movie opening when she was staying with us, taking care of the boys while I taught summer school. Still, it didn't make me pick up a book. The books have just never appealed to me.

So, when Erin selected the book, I put out the call to local friends to see if I could borrow a copy of the book. Three friends offered and I drove out to get a copy of the book. I curled up on the couch with a cup of tea and my favorite quilt.

This time I made it all the way through, but I didn't love it and I doubt I'll pick up any of the subsequent books. It's just not that interesting to me. Am I alone in this? I think so. Sorry.

On the Plate...

Instead of the suggested treacle tart, I opted to make some pumpkin pasties inspired by the trolley cart on the way to Hogwarts. “What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life.”

I used a quick olive oil crust that is fast and flaky. Perfect!

Ingredients

Pastry

• 3/4 C buttermilk
• 3/4 C olive oil
• 4 C white whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t ground cardamom

Filling

• 1 C pumpkin puree  (how to make pumpkin puree: version 1, version 2)
• 1/4 C organic dark brown sugar
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t ground cardamom
• 1/4 C raw pecan pieces

Glaze

• 3/4 C organic powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 T milk
• 1 to 2 t pure vanilla extract

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In medium bowl, mix all the pastry ingredients and knead to make a soft dough. Let stand while preparing filling. Mix all of the filling ingredients and set aside. Split dough in half and roll out each to 1/2 inch thick circle. Use a metal cutter (I used a metal measuring cup) to cut the pasties. Lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Spoon the filling onto one of the circles, lay another circle on top.

Press the edges to seal tightly. And pinch together to make a design. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the crust is crisp and nicely browned.

While pasties bake, make the glaze. Whisk all the glaze ingredients together until smooth.

Once the pasties are baked, remove them to a wire rack and let cool or 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle the pasties with the glaze and let harden for 10 minutes before serving.

Giveaway

This month Erin at The Spiffy Cookie, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from October 1st till October 31st at 4 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Disclosure: Erin received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

**This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more, but if you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.