Halloween Food Recipes and Drinks Ideas
Halloween Food Recipes and Drinks Ideas
Pre-dinner Nibbles - Mini Tortilla Roules
Tortillas are so Mexican – make them your own by adding a spicy salmon filling to get your guests talking as soon as they arrive.
Ingredients - makes 4/5 roules per person
2 medium sized flour tortillas
75g of smoked salmon pate
50g smoked salmon finely chopped
1 tbsp creme fraiche
zest and juice of quarter of a lime
1/2 level tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2 handful of fresh rocket, chopped
salt and pepper
4 medium sized flour tortillas
150g of smoked salmon pate
100g smoked salmon finely chopped
2 tbsp creme fraiche
zest and juice of half a lime
1 level tsp of cayenne pepper
1 handful of fresh rocket, chopped
salt and pepper
6 medium sized flour tortillas
225g of smoked salmon pate
150g smoked salmon finely chopped
3 tbsp creme fraiche
zest and juice of 3/4 of a lime
1.5 level tsp of cayenne pepper
1.5 handfuls of fresh rocket, chopped
salt and pepper
8 medium sized flour tortillas
300g of smoked salmon pate
200g smoked salmon finely chopped
4 tbsp creme fraiche
zest and juice of a lime
2 level tsp of cayenne pepper
2 handfuls of fresh rocket, chopped
salt and pepper
Here’s How
1. Into a bowl, add the smoked salmon pâté, smoked salmon, creme fraiche, cayenne pepper and lime zest and juice. Mix together then season with salt and pepper and taste. Add more cayenne pepper if you want more spice.
2. Place the flour tortillas on a wooden board. Spread each tortilla with the salmon mixture, then top with the fresh rocket and roll each tortilla up into a sausage shape.
3. Cut the very end of each rolled tortilla ( about 1 cm) so the rolled tortilla is more of an even thickness.
4. Then cut each rolled tortilla into 4 or 5 pieces. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
To Serve
Turn each of the cut pieces of tortilla roll onto it’s end so they stand upright on the serving plate or put each roule on a small spoon.
Starter - Batty Pumpkin Soup
Everyone knows that a good homemade soup is a great, warming comfort food for autumn and winter time, but nothing shouts Halloween, All Saints Day or indeed Guy Fawkes like a spicy pumpkin or butternut squash soup.
We’ve made lots of variation of this theme, with added carrots, red onion, fresh chillies, double cream etc. etc. but for us, the easiest one that still packs bags of flavour in this version.
Ingredients
whole black peppercorns ( the eyes of the bats)
bat cutter or find a bat design online, print it off and cut around it to make a template
1 egg beaten to brush the pastry.
whole black peppercorns ( the eyes of the bats)
bat cutter or find a bat design online, print it off and cut around it to make a template
1 egg beaten to brush the pastry.
3 tbsp crème fraiche (to garnish the soup)
whole black peppercorns ( the eyes of the bats)
bat cutter or find a bat design online, print it off and cut around it to make a template
1 egg beaten to brush the pastry.
whole black peppercorns ( the eyes of the bats)
bat cutter or find a bat design online, print it off and cut around it to make a template
1 egg beaten to brush the pastry.
Here’s How
1. Heat oven to 200c/180c fan/gas mark 6
3. Toss in a roasting tin along with the olive oil before sprinkling with enough chilli flakes to give your chosen spiciness
4. Roast for 30-35 mins, turning once, until browned and soft.
5. Unwrap the pastry and layout on a board. Cut out the shape of 3 small bats or 2 medium sized bats per person using a cutter or a knife to cut around the paper template.
6. Place the pastry bats onto a greased baking tray or baking parchment, then brush with beaten egg.
7. Sprinkle with grated cheese and add two black peppercorns to each bat for their eyes.
8. Add to the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Remove the pastry bats from the oven and allow to cool slightly before lifting from the baking tray.
10. Once the squash is cooked, tip into a mixing bowl or deep pan, add approx 3/4 of the stock and blend until smooth, adding the rest of the stock and the crème fraîche until your desired consistency and look is achieved. Remember to keep some creme fraiche to garnish the soup just before serving.
To Serve
Main Course -
Luxurious Chilli Beef Stew
Chilli is a very popular dish, but few people make it with chunks of beef steak. Make your chilli stand out by giving it a twist of luxury.
Ingredients
250g chuck steak.
1 x 400g tins of peeled tomatoes (chop these in the tin yourself)
1 large white onions
1 cloves garlic
1-1.5 red jalapeño chillies, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
50g tomato paste
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 teaspoons of quality dark chocolate powder or 2 large squares from a bar of 72% chocolate
1 x 400g tin kidney beans
125ml beef stock
0.5Kg chuck steak.
2 x 400g tins of peeled tomatoes (chop these in the tin yourself)
2 large white onions
2 cloves garlic
2-3 red jalapeño chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed dried chilli powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
100g tomato paste
4 medium carrots, sliced
4 teaspoons of quality dark chocolate powder or 4 large squares from a bar of 72% chocolate
2 x 400g tin kidney beans
250ml beef stock
750g chuck steak.
3 x 400g tins of peeled tomatoes (chop these in the tin yourself)
1.5 large white onions
1.5 cloves garlic
1-2 red jalapeño chillies, chopped
1.5 teaspoon crushed dried chilli powder
1.5 teaspoon oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
150g tomato paste
6 medium carrots, sliced
6 teaspoons of quality dark chocolate powder or 6 large squares from a bar of 72% chocolate
3 x 400g tin kidney beans
375ml beef stock
1Kg chuck steak.
4 x 400g tins of peeled tomatoes (chop these in the tin yourself)
4 large white onions
4 cloves garlic
4-6 red jalapeño chillies, chopped
2 teaspoon crushed dried chilli powder
2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
200g tomato paste
8 medium carrots, sliced
8 teaspoons of quality dark chocolate powder or 8 large squares from a bar of 72% chocolate
4 x 400g tin kidney beans
500ml beef stock
Here’s How
1.Cut and trim the meat into 1 to 2 inch pieces and fry in batches in a shallow frying pan with some cooking oil of your choice (we use rapeseed)
2. At the same time add the rough chopped onion and sliced carrots to a deep casserole pan with a splash of cooking oil.
3. When the meat is browned, gradually add it to the onions in the casserole pan, before adding chillies, garlic and chilli powder.
4. When onions have softened, add tomato paste, herbs and seasoning, followed by tinned tomatoes and beef stock.
5. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, stirring occasionally (about 90 mins) If mixture start to dry out add some red wine or extra stock to keep wet.
6. Mix in kidney beans and chocolate, and simmer for a further 15-20 mins until flavour has fully developed
To Serve
If you have a soup terrine, then you could just put the stew in the terrine and serve from there into bowls or use mugs. Alternatively, keep the stew in the dish that you cooked it in, and let your guests just help themselves.
Lime, Roasted Pepper and Coriander Rice
If you add a few simple ingredients to rice, then you can transform it from an accompaniment to a stand alone dish. The lime and coriander give a freshness that works well with the richness of the beef.
Ingredients
20g butter
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
100g basmati rice ( don’t wash it)
180ml water
zest and juice of 1 lime
10g of extra butter
1 red peppers halved and de-seeded ( these can be roasted in advance and kept in the fridge)
1/2 tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper
1.5 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
40g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
200g basmati rice ( don’t wash it)
320ml water
zest and juice of 2 limes
15g of extra butter
2 red peppers halved and de-seeded ( these can be roasted in advance and kept in the fridge)
1tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
60g butter
11/2 small onions, finely chopped
300g basmati rice ( don’t wash it)
480ml water
zest and juice of 3 limes
25g of extra butter
3 red peppers halved and de-seeded ( these can be roasted in advance and kept in the fridge)
1.5 tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper
4.5 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
80g butter
2 small onions, finely chopped
400g basmati rice ( don’t wash it)
640ml water
zest and juice of 4 limes
30g of extra butter
4 red peppers halved and de-seeded ( these can be roasted in advance and kept in the fridge)
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper
6 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Here’s How
1. Pre heat oven to 180C/gas mark 4
2. Drizzle the oil over a baking tray and place the peppers open side down. Then place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until soft and starting to colour.
3. Melt the butter in a pot that has a tightly fitting lid. Add the onion and cook gently until lightly golden.
4. Add the rice and stir to coat it with the onion and butter mixture. Add the lime zest.
5. Pour in the water and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then add the lid and place in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
6. Remove the peppers from the oven, cool slightly before chopping them.
7. Remove the rice from the oven but don’t lift the lid. Let it stand for a further 5 minutes.
8. Remove the lid and fluff up the rice with a fork. Add the coriander, lime juice and chopped roasted pepper and stir until evenly mixed.
9. Lay a clean tea towel over the top of the pan and then replace the lid and leave for another 5 minutes, allowing the rice to steam for a bit longer and the moisture will be captured by the tea towel.
10. Finally remove the lid and the tea towel to reveal the perfectly cooked rice.
To Serve
Pour the rice into a bowl and garnish with mint leaves or a piece of lime. Alternatively, you can keep the rice in the pan you cooked it in and just let your guests serve themselves from it and save on the washing up!
Dessert - Hot Witch's Cup
This is a super-simple dish with oodles of flavour and the perfect end to a dinner. The chilli and alcohol add a wintery warmth to this dessert and the mocha cream – well we are sure that you will be using that little gem on many of your future creations!
Ingredients
180g frozen fruits of the forrest
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp of cassis or rum
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
40g dark chocolate
15g butter
1.5 tbsp mascarpone
1.5 tbsp kahlua or tia maria
2 ginger biscuits roughly chopped
360g frozen fruits of the forrest
2 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp of cassis or rum
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
75g dark chocolate
25g butter
3 tbsp mascarpone
3 tbsp kahlua or tia maria
4 ginger biscuits roughly chopped
540g frozen fruits of the forrest
3 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp of cassis or rum
3/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
115g dark chocolate
40g butter
4.5 tbsp mascarpone
4.5 tbsp kahlua or tia maria
6 ginger biscuits roughly chopped
720g frozen fruits of the forrest
4 tbsp runny honey
4 tbsp of cassis or rum
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
150g dark chocolate
50g butter
6 tbsp mascarpone
6 tbsp kahlua or tia maria
8 ginger biscuits roughly chopped
Here’s How
1. Put the frozen fruit into a pan with the honey and cassis or rum and heat until the fruits have defrosted and are soft.
2. Add the cayenne pepper to taste (tip – if you are unsure of how much spice you want to add to the fruit, then add half the measure, stir in and taste before you add more. Alternatively, you may want to add even more of a kick so add a little more of the cayenne pepper but only in small amounts at a time so you are happy with the taste)
3. The fruit can then be cooled and kept in the fridge for a few days before being used.
4. Put another pan on the cooker and half fill with water. Then using a bowl that will sit on the top of the pan, cut up the dark chocolate into smaller pieces with a knife and add to a bowl along with the butter. If you melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water, then you can control the melting process so the chocolate doesn’t get over-cooked.
5. As soon as the chocolate has melted, take off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
6. Roughly chop the ginger biscuits and put to one side for later.
7. Add the Kahlua or Tia Maria to the chocolate mixture and mix so the two are combined. Then add the mascarpone and mix well. Taste to make sure you are happy with the amount of alcohol added.
8. You can prepare the mocha mixture and the crushed ginger biscuits in advance to be used when you assemble the dessert.
To Serve
Warm the fruits of the forrest mixture in a pan. (Tip – if they are too hot, then leave them to cool slightly before serving as this will prevent the mocha cream from melting too quickly into the fruit mixture.)
Spoon the mixture into tea cups or mugs then top with a spoonful of the mocha cream and sprinkle with the roughly chopped ginger biscuits.
Drinks
The choice of drinks is a very personal thing as much depends on you, your guests and your taste. We always try to offer a selection of ideas.
Welcome Drink – Ghoulish Tequila Mojito
Served with pink spice and all things nice.
Ingredients – makes 1
(Tip – if you have a big crowd coming then it’s a good plan to make a pitcher of the drink. However, if your guest list is smaller then making individual drinks is always best. The recipe below is based on making an individual drink in a glass)
2 tbsp tequila
1 tbsp of an orange liqueur such as cointreau, grand mariner or triple sec.
2 tbsp cassis
6 mint leaves roughly chopped
half a lime cut into wedges
3 frozen raspberries
4 pink peppercorns
bitter lemon
lemonade
ice cubes
coloured straws
Here’s How
1. Into a long glass, pour the tequila and orange liqueur, mint leaves.
2. Then squeeze the juice of the lime wedges into the glass and add the wedges as well.
3. Mash together using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon.
4. Add a handful of ice to the glass, then top up with half and half of the bitter lemon and lemonade.
5. Stir with a metal spoon to mix everything together.
6. Pour in the cassis, very gently down the inside of the glass so it will sink to the bottom of the glass.
To Serve
Top the drink with the peppercorns and frozen raspberries and add some coloured straws.
Alcohol Free Drink – Fruity, lime, mint and blackcurrant drink
Ingredients – makes 1
multi-fruit juice
sparkling water
half a lime cut into wedges
6 mint leaves roughly chopped
3 frozen raspberries
blackcurrant cordial
ice cubes
Here’s How
1. Squeeze the juice of the lime wedges into a glass and add the wedges along with the mint.
2. Mash together with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon.
3. Add the ice and half and half multi fruit drink and sparkling water
4. Pour a small amount of the blackcurrant cordial slowly down the inside of the glass so it sinks to the bottom.
To Serve
Add the frozen raspberries and straws.
Beers and Wines
Bohemia Mexican is one of the oldest brands of the FEMSA brewery, or how about Negra Modelo, which is well known for its thick creamy foam head.
Another intriguing collection of beers is called after the Day of the Dead or Die de los Muertos and has pale ales, blonde, amber, porter and even a chocolate stout among its flavours.
European beers with a “Mexican” flavour could potentially be slightly easier to source, so why not give Desperados (a pale lager style beer, flavoured with Tequila) a try ?
Another 2 beers, readily available are Sol or Dos Esquis,
If you’re searching for more unusual drinks from Mexico, then why not opt for a specialist Mexican supermarket. Mestizo offers some great beers, soft drinks and special wines, which are definitely worth a try.
Apparently one of the cardinal rules with spicy food is to have sweeter and colder wine the spicier the food gets, so with that in mind he are some wine selections to try with your Mexican dishes.
Are you ready to move on to the next section?
Great then let’s take a look at the music!
Setting the scene is easy peasy with this playlist.
There’s a mixture of some well known favourites with a collection of more unusual tunes, but they all have a spooky theme.