YES! I’ve been waiting for this one… it’s the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series AND it’s my favourite of all the films. My Liquid Luck pineapple turnovers are the perfect warming sweet treat for a chilly evening in with Hazza P on the telly. Shall we apparate?
Contents
The Bake
Although it took a few days for me to come up with a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince inspired treat, I was fixated on pastry from the get go.
I was also fixated on the idea of a Liquid Luck theme. Of course, the Half-Blood Prince’s book of potions was also considered, but I’d already done a book concept in my Prisoner of Azkaban recipe. Thus, the concept of a Liquid Luck themed bake is what I chose to focus on.
I hadn’t created a pastry-based recipe since my Good Will Hunting pizza trees and I was excited to bring a new one to Flavour of the Film. As discussed in my Good Will Hunting post, you can make your pastry from scratch or you can buy it from the shop.
Seriously, there is no shame in doing the latter. I made my puff pastry from scratch for my pizza trees, but I opted for a ready rolled shop-bought puff pastry for this recipe. If you’re short on time or you just aren’t overly interested in making your own pastry, feel free to get some from the shop.
It’s what it’s there for!
Don’t ever feel like you have to make absolutely everything from scratch.
Yes, it’s a great skill but only if you’re going to use it. Otherwise, what’s the point in going through all of that trouble? Making puff pastry from scratch is rewarding but it takes so long.
If you would like to make your puff pastry from scratch then go ahead and follow the recipe on my Good Will Hunting post. If not, make sure to grab a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry from the shop.
Keep it in the fridge until ready to use, Make sure to take it out ten minutes before you need it so it can thaw a little.
For the filling, I chose a sweet and spiced pineapple mix to create pineapple filled turnovers.
I choose this partly because the flavours are so warming. But, also because pineapple is the flavour of treat that Tom Riddle gave Professor Slughorn back in Riddle’s school days. As Professor Slughorn is the character that introduces Harry (and us) to Liquid Luck, it felt entirely appropriate to make use of the fruit in this bake.
Pineapple turnovers are utterly delicious and they make great little treats. Pineapple turnovers, or chausson à l’ananas, are traditionally made with puff pastry which is folded or pressed to enclose the pineapple filling.
Often, pineapple turnovers are made with various added ingredients, either to balance the pineapple or to enhance it. Some bakers add coconut to their pineapple turnovers (something that sounds wonderful to me!).
For my own version, I spiced the pineapple with a little cinnamon but this is completely optional.
If you have an allergy to cinnamon or don’t have a taste for it, you can leave it out. The mix will still be delicious.
I sweetened my mix with light brown sugar because the extra caramelisation is absolutely divine. It gives it that extra depth that you don’t get from a white sugar.
To create the shape of the bottle, I drew a rough outline on a piece of paper and cut it out so that I had a template to work with. I then traced around it with a sharp knife to cut out twelve shapes from my sheet of pastry. This gave me six turnovers in total.
What is great about this recipe is that you can double or even triple the ingredients, based on how many turnovers you want. One sheet of pastry yielded about six full sized Liquid Luck turnovers. But, you may be able to get a few smaller ones out, too.
Do not roll pre-rolled pastry.
If you are looking to get a bit more out of your pre-rolled pastry, use your hands to stretch it out gently. If you roll the pastry out more with a rolling pin, you risk compressing the layers. This means you won’t get a good rise in your puff pastry and the lamination disappears.
Puff pastry is known for its lamination, so I would advise against doing anything that would diminish this!
Finally, to finish the look off, I dusted icing sugar over the bottle-shaped turnovers to give the impression that they were ‘full’. I used a strip of paper to cover the ‘neck’ and top part of each one so that they weren’t completely covered. The icing sugar represents the actual liquid part of my Liquid Luck bottles.
It also adds a touch of light sweetness to the taste. I don’t know what it is about icing sugar on puff pastry… but the combination is heavenly on the tongue.
Top Tips
- Buy a sheet of puff pastry. I know I keep saying it in this post, but seriously, just buy it. These pineapple turnovers are too tasty to not make on the basis that you don’t want to make the pastry from scratch. It’s all good, friends. Buy it from your local shop and get to making these pastry bottles of liquid luck.
- Avoid over spicing the pineapple filling. Not only will it likely dry out the pineapple and leave a powdery taste in your mouth, it will likely taste nasty. Stick to the recipe on the spice front or lessen it every so slightly if desired.
- The icing sugar is optional, though it does give the impression that the pastry bottles of liquid luck are full.
- Follow the baking instructions for the shop bought puff pastry as some brands may differ.
- Do not roll out pre-rolled puff pastry as you risk ruining the lamination effect before the pastry is even baked.
There you have it, friends. My Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince pineapple turnovers. These delectable little Liquid Luck bottles are the perfect movie viewing snack, or just a gorgeous autumnal sweet treat. They are so easy and so much fun to make. I adore them and I hope you will too.
Happy baking, happy eating!
The Recipe
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (taken out of the fridge 10 minutes before use)
- Milk of your choice to glaze optional
Pineapple turnover filling:
- 1 tin pineapple rings (drained) or 140g fresh pineapple diced
- ½ tsp ground sweet cinnamon optional
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
Decoration:
- Icing [confectioners] sugar to dust
Serves: 6+
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 8 – 10 minutes
Decorating time: 5 minutes
Method
- Preheat your oven to 220°C [425°F] or 200°C fan and line and baking tray with greaseproof paper/baking parchment. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add your diced pineapple, sugar and cinnamon over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar and cinnamon have mixed into the pineapple juices that haven been released.
- Turn the heat up and allow to boil for around 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent the sugar from catching.
- After around 10 minutes, test the pineapple by sliding a sharp knife in a couple of the chunks. They should be softened but with a little bit to them still.
- Remove the pineapple mix from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- While your pineapple is cooling, cut the Liquid Luck bottle shape out of your sheet of pastry. Do this using a paper template or free hand and with a sharp knife.
- A sheet of pastry should provide 12 shapes altogether, making 6 turnovers.
- Place 6 of the bottle pastry shapes onto the lined tray in rows of 3.
- Spoon about 1 tsp of the cooled pineapple mix into the centre of each one.
- Use the remaining pastry shapes as ‘lids’. Lay them over the pineapple mix on each bottle and press the edges together.
- You can gently stretch the top layer over the pineapple if needed. Don’t stress if some of the juice leaks!
- Use a fork to press the edges together, creating a crimped effect all the way around.
- Brush the milk over each turnover if doing so.
- Bake the turnovers for 8 – 10 minutes, until golden and well risen.
- Leave on the tray until cooled. This won’t take long!
- Place a strip of paper over the neck of one of the turnovers and dust the exposed pastry with icing sugar.
- Repeat for each of your pineapple turnovers.
These sweet and buttery pineapple turnovers make a great movie night snack or themed party treat! They are best eaten on the day of baking, but they will remain delicious when stored in an airtight container for another couple of days. Enjoy!
The Film
It feels like I am whizzing through this series… but, I am very excited about this one. I mentioned in my Goblet of Fire post that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my favourite chapter of the series when it comes to story.
BUT… and that’s a pretty big “but”, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is my favourite of the Harry Potter films overall. There are so many reasons why, but mostly it’s down to the change in tone.
The depth of story changes – and so does the entire aesthetic – after Goblet of Fire, and rightly so. The Dark Lord is back, after all. I just love the shift following Order of the Phoenix, when it is actually confirmed to the Ministry of Magic – and the wizarding public – that Voldemort is back. There is no more uncertainty. The darkness is spreading.
Everything gets more intense…
The colour palette changes dramatically; the cinematography reflects a darker, scarier world. Overall, there is a far more mature theme which helps to emphasise the idea that Harry and his friends are being forced to grow up a lot faster than an average teenager.
I love it. I could go on about how beautiful and how aesthetically pleasing I think this film is, but I won’t waffle… this time.
The core plot theme for this film is, of course, Harry finding a potions book which is marked as belonging to the ‘Half-Blood Prince’. Upon discovering the handwritten notes in the book, Harry is able to create a perfect potion, earning himself the prized bottle of Liquid Luck from Professor Slughorn.
As a result, Harry becomes rather attached to his new find.
He delves deeper and deeper into this book. Simultaneously, Harry discovers more about Voldemort’s past and, along with Professor Dumbledore, reveals crucial information that ultimately helps to defeat Voldemort later down the line.
All that… and he’s grappling with being the ‘chosen one’; scarcely evading a situation with an unwanted love potion being snuck his way.
Ah, Ron. Poor, oblivious Ron. He really goes through it in this one.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released in 2009, with one of the coolest opening scenes in a fantasy film: the destruction of London’s Millennium Bridge.
David Yates continued on as director, with Steve Kloves returning to write the screenplay.
As expected, there are new cast members for new characters.
The new additions include Elarica Johnson as the waitress in the opening act; the iconic Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn, the unforgettable Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy, Anna Schaffer as Romilda Vane, Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown, Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell, and more.
New cast members also include the past iterations of Voldemort: Hero Fiennes Tiffin as eleven year old Tom Riddle, and Frank Dillane as sixteen year old Tom Riddle.
Both absolutely nailed their roles, in my opinion.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is my favourite instalment for so many reasons. As a result, I felt more pressure to create a bake that I loved just as much as the film. It took me a wee while before luck struck and I was inspired…
Recipe Card
Pineapple Turnovers | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Ingredients
Pineapple turnovers pastry:
- 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry taken out of the fridge 10 minutes before use
- Milk of your choice to glaze optional
Filling:
- 1 tin pineapple rings drained or 140g fresh pineapple diced
- ½ tsp ground sweet cinnamon optional
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
Decoration:
- Icing [confectioners] sugar to dust
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220°C [425°F] or 200°C fan and line and baking tray with greaseproof paper/baking parchment. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add your diced pineapple, sugar and cinnamon over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar and cinnamon have mixed into the pineapple juices that haven been released.
- Turn the heat up and allow to boil for around 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent the sugar from catching.
- After around 10 minutes, test the pineapple by sliding a sharp knife in a couple of the chunks. They should be softened but with a little bit to them still.
- Remove the pineapple mix from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- While your pineapple is cooling, cut the Liquid Luck bottle shape out of your sheet of pastry. Do this using a paper template or free hand and with a sharp knife.
- A sheet of pastry should provide 12 shapes altogether, making 6 turnovers.
- Place 6 of the bottle pastry shapes onto the lined tray in rows of 3.
- Spoon about 1 tsp of the cooled pineapple mix into the centre of each one.
- Use the remaining pastry shapes as ‘lids’. Lay them over the pineapple mix on each bottle and press the edges together.
- You can gently stretch the top layer over the pineapple if needed. Don’t stress if some of the juice leaks!
- Use a fork to press the edges together, creating a crimped effect all the way around.
- Brush the milk over each turnover if doing so.
- Bake the turnovers for 8 – 10 minutes, until golden and well risen.
- Leave on the tray until cooled. This won’t take long!
- Place a strip of paper over the neck of one of the turnovers and dust the exposed pastry with icing sugar.
- Repeat for each of your pineapple turnovers.
Notes
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