Children aren’t the only ones looking for treats on Halloween–adults crave them too. But save the frightful food, witches’ brew and cute cookies for the kids.
There’s a sophisticated side to the holiday that grown-ups grasp, and you evoke it subtly with hauntingly beautiful and devilishly tricky drinks and dishes.
How about black bean soup with spindly sour cream spider webs, ghostly vodka ice molds or unnaturally tall Apple Oddities? Or hit the Halloween theme dead-on with pumpkins cleverly cast as serving bowls or orange-black pairings that show surprising style: black-on-orange chalupas, two-tone ravioli, caviar appetizers on sweet and purple potatoes.
Read on for some wicked Halloween creations that adult party guests won’t soon forget. And don’t get spooked by the preparation. Most dishes are easier than they seem.
– Pumpkin vessels: Pumpkins double as serving pieces. Go with the traditional orange, or scout out a ghostly white pumpkin at a farmers market. To prepare the pumpkin, cut the top off and scrape out the seeds and fibers inside using a large spoon.
– Halloween black bean chalupas: Bright orange chili tostadas are the base for these chalupas. For the topping, puree a drained (15-ounce) can of black beans with 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, a pinch of cumin and a dash of cayenne pepper. Heat and spread on a tostada; garnish with additional whole canned black beans, if desired, grated Cheddar cheese and chopped tomato. Offer other garnishes such as salsa, lettuce and guacamole on the side in horned melon bowls.
– Horned melon bowls: Put guacamole and other chalupa condiments in hollowed- out bowls made from spiky horned melons–which add a nice otherworldly touch. Find them in the produce department at some supermarkets and specialty markets.
– Spider web soup: Decorate black bean soup with a sour cream spider web. After ladling the hot soup into bowls, pipe concentric circles of sour cream on the surface. Drag a toothpick from the innermost circle to the outer rim. Repeat the dragging step five times, spacing the design at regular intervals. No pastry bag? Use a plastic sandwich bag with a corner snipped off.
– Silence of the yams: Fried sweet potato rounds dusted with cinnamon-sugar make a tasty Halloween-hued sweet and they hold well in a warm oven. To prepare, peel sweet potatoes and cut into 3/8-inch slices. Fry in hot safflower oil until golden. Remove to paper towels and drain. Put on a black serving platter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar. For a crispier treat, slice even thinner or grate the potato. (From Lee Bailey’s “Country Weekends.”)
– Hold the fingers: For spooky finger sandwiches, use pumpernickel bread and pimiento cheese for holiday color theme and variations. Cut the sandwiches into triangles or use Halloween or fall cookie cutters for seasonal shapes.
– Okra spikes: Take advantage of pickled okra’s natural spikiness: Spear them lengthwise, points-up, on bamboo skewers, then fan the skewers like flowers in a short vase. Or set up a “forest” of okra-skewer appetizers using a Styrofoam base.
– Brain food: Crunchy dried wasabi peas look like tiny ghoulish gourds or, better yet, little shriveled brains. Plus, the spicy coating of Japanese horseradish jolts the taste buds. Set some out for munching. Or use them to garnish salads. Look for them in Asian markets.
– Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde mix: Play off Halloween’s good-evil undercurrent with sweet and spicy Cajun nuts, whose extreme red pepper heat contrasts with oh-so-sweet brown sugar.
To prepare, heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine 1 pound peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans with 2 tablespoons well-beaten egg white in large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper and 1/4 teaspoon paprika; stir into the nuts.
Lay the nuts in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook until the sugar forms little crystals, about 15 minutes. Watch closely so nuts don’t burn. Remove nuts from oven, separate and cool. Store in an airtight container for up to three weeks.
– Halloween caviar: Purple and sweet potato rounds paired with black and orange caviar extend the Halloween color theme, not to mention adding elegance worthy of a count. To prepare, peel and steam purple and sweet potatoes just until tender. Cut into 3/8-inch-thick slices and top each with a small dollop of sour cream and a bit of inexpensive contrasting black or orange caviar.
– Chocolate-dipped apricots: Dark-chocolate-dipped dried apricots contrast orange with near-black for a sophisticated sweet. Melt chocolate chips in a bowl over simmering water. (Don’t let the bowl touch the water.) Once the chocolate is melted, turn off the heat (but keep the bowl over the hot water), dip apricots in halfway and lay on sheets of wax paper to dry. When dry, remove from paper and store in an airtight container.
– Spiky frosting: Gravity-defying frosting turns ordinary cake into a spooky, spiky dessert. Make a devil’s food cake, then frost with Betty Crocker’s Fluffy Homestyle Frosting, a mix version of meringue like seven-minute frosting. Once the cake is iced, use a spoon to add more dollops of frosting, pulling the back of the spoon away from the cake as the icing is released and twisting the ends into spikes. Make frosting spikes all over the top and sides of cake. (You’ll use a lot to get the effect; you may want to use two boxes of frosting. But don’t even try this if the weather is humid.)
– Devil versus angel: Good hides evil in this high-concept, low-tech tunnel cake. Slice off the top third of an angel food cake. Using your fingers, scoop out a “tunnel” in the bottom portion. Crumble a prepared devil’s food cake into chocolate pudding or chocolate sauce and spread it in the tunnel. Spread some whipped cream on the tunnel layer and press the top layer back on. Frost with whipped cream and top with chocolate curls. Serve on a plate ringed by blood-red raspberry sauce worthy of Dracula. (For a quick sauce, add sugar to frozen raspberries, puree and strain.)
– Caramel apple oddities: The unusual height of these baked-apple towers makes this dessert a preternatural beauty. To make four desserts, start with eight tart apples. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set the rack low enough to give the apples some “head room” while they cook.
Cut 1/2-inch slices off the tops and bottoms (peeled or unpeeled, depending on the look you want). Core the middle sections and cut them into 1/2-inch horizontal slices. Stack the middle sections of two apples on top of one bottom slice. Fill the centers with brown sugar and small chunks of butter, as you would for any baked apples. Top each tower with an apple top. (You’ll use only four tops and bottoms.) Place the apple towers in a glass baking dish with 1 cup water and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting with pan juices once, until apples are tender but not mushy.
With a wide spatula, carefully transfer each apple stack to a dessert plate. Drizzle with caramel sauce and garnish with a thin, 2- to 3-inch cinnamon stick and a cranberry at the base of the apple stem. Serve with several tiny scoops of ice cream on the side. Make sure the plates are big enough for your guests to knock the towers over like Godzilla.
– Ghostly vodka: Chill bottles of vodka in ice molds for eerie effect. (You’ll need a good-size freezer for this.) Start by filling a large plastic or metal bucket with water. Stand the vodka bottle in the center. Tuck spiny, twisting willow branches, autumn leaves or dark grapes around the bottle. Place in freezer until the water is completely frozen, about 24 hours. To unmold, run hot water over the outside of the bucket until it releases the block of ice. To serve, place the iced bottle on a rimmed plate with a towel underneath to absorb the water.
BEEF AND RICE IN A PUMPKIN
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 8 servings
Bake this beef and rice mixture in smaller pumpkins, if you like. Also, you can vary the type of rice by using wild or brown rice mixed with white rice.
1 pumpkin, 5 to 6 pounds
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
2 cups cooked rice
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons crushed dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut top off pumpkin; remove seeds and strings. Prick cavity with fork in several places; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt.
2. Heat oil in large skillet; add garlic and onion. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add beef; cook until browned on all sides, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining salt, rice, raisins, pine nuts, eggs, sage, thyme and pepper.
3. Stuff pumpkin with beef mixture. Place 1/2-inch water in bottom of shallow baking pan large enough to hold pumpkin. Put pumpkin in pan; bake 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Cut pumpkin into wedges to serve.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 345 Fat ………… 17 g Saturated fat .. 5 g
% calories from fat .. 42 Cholesterol .. 120 mg Sodium …… 645 mg
Carbohydrates …… 33 g Protein …….. 18 g Fiber …….. 4.3 g
