Pumpkin Juice Recipe

What could be worse than missing the train and having to fly your father's car to school? Eating sweets for hours and then realizing you have nothing with which to wash it down, although crashing into a murderous tree probably ranks up there as well. After finishing the bag of toffees Harry and Ron find in the car, Harry is so thirsty he starts fantasizing about the pumpkin juice he could buy if he were on the Hogwarts Express(see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 5).

Ingredients:
1 small pumpkin (sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin)
2 cups apple juice
1 cup white grape juice
1 cup pineapple juice

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the pumpkin in half pole to pole and scoop out the seeds. Don't worry about the stringy fibers; they are hard to remove and won't affect the results. Place the pumpkin halves face down on a baking sheet and roast 45 minutes to 1 hour until soft. Remove from the oven.
2. 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 one cup.
3. Place the cup of sieved pumpkin in a pitcher along with the apple juice, grape juice, and pineapple juice. Stir vigorously until the pumpkin is completely dispersed. Chill the juice for 3 to 4 hours.
4. 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.

Makes 5 cups

Although this recipe was tested using freshly roasted pumpkin, it would probably work if you use canned pumpkin instead to save the bother of making it from scratch.

Recipe courtesy of The Unofficial Harry Potter Sweet Shoppe Book by Dinah Bucholz.

Related Posts/Recipes:
Double Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
The Unofficial Harry Potter Sweet Shoppe Book

England [ print this recipe for Pumpkin Juice ]