YOU might already be thinking about Christmas food, but there’s still one gastronomic seasonal monster to fight before you take on Santa and his hungry elves.
Barney Desmazery, copy editor at Good Food magazine, says that, for the last three years, his daughter has shied away from scary witches and ghosts. But now, at the grand age of four, she has finally come of age for trick or treating.
This means that the food editor is about to host his first Halloween party tonight and suggests that before you send your children out the door with their plastic cauldrons, fake blood and chalky, milk-white faces, it’s worth holding a little pre-Halloween feast.
Something, he says, that could benefit parents as much as the children.
“I think many parents automatically decide to hold their party after trick or treating – and I think it’s best to do it beforehand.
“That way, the kids will get filled up beforehand with food you’ve cooked and they’ll be less likely to fill up on sweets while going round.”
This year, you could make it lunch or a tea party, he suggests, adding that the key to a successful Halloween feast is to make things easy on yourself.
“It’s all about repacking food that kids love. It’s all about the funky names,” he says.
“Last year, my friend made kiwi fruit juice – although she called it frogspawn or something equally as vile. But it was just blended, peeled kiwis.
“Sausages become dead men’s fingers and green soup with bacon is slime and skin.”
But Halloween is not just about ghosts and goblins, says Barney.
“This time signals the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, so we should be using seasonal ingredients.
“Be creative and imaginative with your food while celebrating the change of seasons.”
Seasonal recipes could include baked apples, pumpkin soup or pan-fried venison. Try these super Halloween party food recipes with your family.
Serves 4-6
100g (3½oz) cherry tomatoes
150g (5½oz) pack mini mozzarella balls, drained
Handful basil
400g (14oz) green tagliatelle
350g (12½oz) jar tomato sauce
4 tblspn fresh pesto
Halve the cherry tomatoes and use a small, sharp knife or a teaspoon to remove the seeds. Cut the mozzarella balls in half. Place one half inside each tomato, trimming the edges if necessary to fit it in.
Either cut the smallest circles you can from a basil leaf or finely chop the leaves and scrunch into small circles. Place one at the centre of each mozzarella ball.
Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, heat through the tomato sauce. When the tagliatelle is cooked, drain and stir through the pesto and any remaining basil, chopped finely. Divide between 4-6 serving bowls. Spoon over some tomato sauce, then arrange the stuffed tomato eyeballs on top.
Makes 20
100g (3½oz) caster sugar
100g (3½oz) butter
1 egg yolk
200g (7oz) plain flour
½ tspn vanilla extract
20 blanched almonds
Red food colouring – paste is best (optional)
Place the first five ingredients and a pinch of salt in a food processor and whiz just until a ball of dough forms.
Tear off a golf ball-size piece of dough and use your hands to roll into finger-size cylinders – you should get about 20.
Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment – a little apart as they will spread during baking.
Use a knife to make a few cuts, close together, for the knuckles. Place an almond at the end of each finger and trim away excess pastry around the edge to neaten. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes, then bake for 10-12 minutes, just until firm. Leave to cool a little, then paint the almond with food colouring, if you like. These can be made up to three days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
To decorate:
1 egg white
50g (2oz) icing sugar
200ml (7fl oz) single cream
200g (7oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped
½ a 250g (9oz) pack rich tea finger biscuits
100g (3½oz) double chocolate cookies
25g (1oz) white chocolate
Silver balls, to decorate
85g (3oz) cocoa powder
200g (7oz) self-raising flour
375g (13oz) light brown muscovado sugar
4 eggs
200ml (7fl oz) milk
175ml (6fl oz) vegetable oil
To make the ghosts, heat the oven to 110C (fan 90C)/230F/Gas Mark ¼.
Whip the egg white in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the sugar a tablespoon at a time and keep whisking for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thick and resembles shaving foam. Gently spoon the mixture into a large freezer bag, then cut a 1.5cm (½in) hole in one of the corners.
Cover a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Carefully squeeze a small circle of whipped egg white out of the bag, pulling upwards as you do to make a ghost shape. Repeat until the mixture is used up – you should get about 15 ghosts. Bake for 90 minutes, until crisp. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.
Now make the cake. Heat the oven to 180C (fan 160C)/355F/Gas Mark 4.
Tip the cocoa powder, self-raising flour and sugar into a large bowl, breaking up any clumps of sugar. Mix together the eggs, milk and oil in a measuring cup or bowl, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir everything together until smooth.
Grease and line a deep baking dish (20x30x5cm – 8x12x2in) with baking parchment. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for 30 minutes. Leave to cool, then turn out on to a serving plate. Alternatively, wrap well and store for up to two days.
To finish decorating the cake:
Heat cream in a saucepan until just boiling. Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and pour over the hot cream. Stir until the chocolate melts. Use a clean brush to paint a layer of chocolate over seven rich tea finger biscuits, then set aside to cool. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over the cake and smooth over with a knife.
Whiz the chocolate cookies, or bash in a freezer bag with a rolling pin, until small crumbs form. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Place the white chocolate in a small bowl, set over a pan of simmering water. Leave for 5 minutes, or until melted, then spoon into a small freezer bag. Wait for 10 minutes so the mixture is not too runny, then cut a tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe out 2 small blobs on to each ghost, place a silver ball on each to make eyes, then pipe out suitable words and shapes on the gravestones.
Leave for 30 minutes to set, then push the biscuit gravestones into the cake and arrange the ghosts around.
To get the ghosts to “fly”, push a thin wire (you can get these from a florist shop – remember to remove before eating) into the bottom of the ghost, then place in the cake, hiding the wire behind a gravestone.