LONDON (AP) — In the early hours of the morning, while everyone is asleep, something magical is being cooked up on the set of “Harry Potter.” Hagrid, Dobby and Voldemort are all there, but … they’re edible.
We’re not talking about the forthcoming HBO TV series, here. The Food Network show “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking,” back for a second season Sunday, filmed overnight this summer on the same Warner Bros. set of the eight movies.
No strangers to that set, twins James and Oliver Phelps are presiding over proceedings, spoons at the ready, as The Associated Press observes. Best known for playing Ron Weasley’s brothers Fred and George in the Daniel Radcliffe era, both estimate they’ve spent about 12 years on set — more than in their childhood home.
It might be old hat for the Phelps, but for the judges and contestants, being on the “Harry Potter” sets is a big deal. Multisensory chef Jozef Youssef, a judge, said he ends up “geeking out” every day. Chef, author and judge Carla Hall — who “bakes in” an hour a day to enjoy the exhibitions after the crowds have gone — rued leaving her wand at home, scuttling plans to take photos with it by the Hogwarts Express.
How the great wizarding bake-off works
The show features paired culinary professionals competing by creating showstoppers inspired by the on-screen stories of Harry, Ron and Hermione, adapted from J.K. Rowling’s books.
Hall says when you think of the movies, you don’t know how the special effects work — and this season works on the same premise. While the food has to be delicious, it also has to leave the judges spellbound.
“They put all this time into baking these beautiful pieces but it’s the magic that we want to … enthrall us,” Youssef says.
And while Season 1 boasted a Slytherin-themed snake fountain, a flame-colored sculpture of the phoenix Fawkes and 6 feet tall Great Hall-themed cakes, things do level up for the second season.
“The talent is just getting better and better,” explains Youssef, citing unique flavor combinations.
“There’s a lot of different ways that they bring the enchantment of the story into it,” Oliver Phelps says of the contestants. That could include a movement, a reveal or a surprise — incorporated around a theme like magical transportation — illusions or gravity-defying floating items.
What’s on the magical menu
Each twin says they’ve eaten the best thing they’ve ever tasted in their lives during Season 2 — and they were each talking about different dishes, which they won’t reveal because of spoilers.
This season, Hall, who enjoys telling stories with her intricate hairstyles like the contestants do with food, says they’ll explain the Ministers of Baking judging process more thoroughly, so that viewers know exactly why a team doesn’t make it through to the next round.
Hall also tries to put the viewer in her place, giving them an analogy of what each dish tastes like. For a Szechuan pepper ingredient, for example, she explains how it works like a potion to make the tongue go numb and the mouth salivate.
James and Oliver Phelps both say that they’ve both become a lot more interested in food since hosting the show. This season, they stick around to eat the entries, whereas last season, they’d be wrapped by the judging time. Standing by a fireplace on set, they pick their ideal charmed culinary creation — quietly so that the contestants don’t get ideas.
Each opts for a variation on a British classic: James imagines a Goblet of Fire-themed crumble, complete with custard, while Oliver chooses an Eton Mess — a dessert explosion caused by a wand.
3 tricks for hosting a magical party
Jozef Youssef, one of the judges on “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking,” passes on these three tips for hosting an enchanted party.
— “Lots of effort always goes into theming the dining table, from table runners, decorations, mini-pumpkins for Halloween and holly at Christmas, candles — scented to match the theme (cinnamon at Christmas for example) — or LED lights can add a sense of theater to the table.”
— “For sharing meals, a game changer is using ‘risers’ — platforms of varying levels to elevate the foods presented on the table. This adds height and fullness to the presentation of the table.”
— “Dry ice is always a crowd-pleaser and there’s no denying there is something magical about the smoke it produces and the whimsical smoke that wafts across the dish or the table. You can buy dry ice as pellets which are easy to activate — just a little warm water and you get a spooky or enchanting vapor!”
