Monday's Riddle was delicious, and Lizzy's review of Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff was a treat. Friday, the Character Book Club will be gathering once more, and Saturday, we always love to hear from you on The DMS Wants to Know. Today, we're heading into the Hogsmeade bakery, because where else would we go? lol : )

This week's top of the heap: Treacle Tart and Pumpkin Pasties!

Fairday & Lizzy: We found these recipes on this excellent site- all sorts of goodies!

Bon a petit!

1½ cups golden syrup (recipe follows or you can buy it on amazon for about ten bucks. You can also just substitute corn syrup, but it won’t be quite the same.)
Zest of 1 large lemon, finely grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp ground ginger
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (you can use panko bread crumbs, but, again, it won’t be quite the same)
Special Equipment:
9 in tart pan with removable bottom
2 pie crusts (recipe follows or you can use a store-bought one. 

The recipe here is more like a pâte sucré or sugar dough, so if you use a store-bought crust, it will be less sweet, but it still works.)
Preheat the oven to 400. Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and mix until the dough resembles coarse bread crumbs. Mix the egg yolk with 3 tbsp cold water. Add to the dough and stir until it comes together.
 
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 1/8 inch thick circle to line the tart pan. Trim the excess and prick with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes. Line with wax paper, fill with baking beans, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and reduce the oven temperature to 375.
Warm the syrup in a saucepan with the lemon. Add the ginger. 

Sprinkle the bread crumbs in the tart shell (I know it sounds so weird, but it works), pour in the syrup, and let stand for 5 minutes. Use the dough trimmings to make a lattice top. Bake for 20–30 minutes.

2 cups canned pure pumpkin
1 egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar mixed with 1 t cinnamon, set aside
 
Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. For the lazy route (which I highly recommend): Use store-bought pie crust or sheets of crescent dough (They sell them in sheets now and they are AWESOME!)

For home-made dough: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt together. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs; stir the water in, about 2 tablespoons at a time, just until you can gather the dough together. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl, then scrape it out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in quarters, and cut each quarter into thirds to make 12 equal portions. Roll the portions into balls. Cover the dough balls with a cloth, and allow to rest while you make the filling.
 
Mix the pumpkin, egg, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger together until smooth. On a floured surface, roll each dough ball out into a thin circle about 6 inches across; spoon about 2-3 T of filling into the center of the dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon shaped pie, and crimp the edges of the crust together with a fork, leaving little fork lines in the dough. Gently lay the empanadas onto the prepared baking sheets. Brush the top of each pie with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake 11-13 minutes

YUM!