Halloween party food

Here are a few ideas for some savoury Halloween party fare.

Bloody Eyeball Soup

1. Take some cherry tomatoes, cut in half and scoop out the seeds
2. Place a mozzarella pearl into each shell then make a small incision
3. Take a basil leaf and roll into a tight cigar shape
4. cut a slice of the basil leaf and press into the incision in the mozzarella
5. Warm up some tomato soup, and serve with two 'eyeballs' floating on top

Witches Fingers

1. Make a batch of the soft pretzel recipe I used here. 
2. Instead of forming them into the common pretzel shape, form them into small sausages, slightly longer then your longest finger
3. Boil in water and bicarbonate of soda, then place on a baking tray.
4. Using a knife, make some knuckle indentations at the one third and two third mark
5. pinch the 'fingers' a little above and below each knuckle to give that gnarly and bony finger effect. 
6. Brush with an egg wash, and sprinkle with rock salt if you like
7. Press an almond into the end to be the fingernail
8. Bake in a hot oven, Gas 8/230c/450f for 10 minutes or until golden brown

Slimy Worms in a Bun

1. Take a packet of cold hot dogs.
2. Cut length ways, then cut each length again so you have 4 long strips
3. Drop into boiling salted water for about 3 mins
4. Drain the place into a bowl and coat generously with barbecue sauce
5. Serve the 'slimy worms' in a nice kaiser roll or any roll of your choice.

Gravestone Wedges

1. Cut cleaned sweet potatoes into wedges leaving the skin on
2. drizzle over some olive oil
3. Sprinkle in some salt, cumin, paprika and black pepper (or whatever mix of spices you prefer)
4. Rub the oil and spice mix over the edges ensuring that they are all coated
5. lay them out on a baking tray and cook at 200C/gas 7 for 40 mins, or longer if needed to make them crispy

Mini Mummy pizzas 

1. Take one packet of English Muffins and cut each muffin in half. These will form the base of your mini pizzas
2. Smooth a layer of tomato purée over the top of each muffin
3. Take some slices of mature cheddar and cut into strips about 2cm wide
4. Lay them over the muffin pizzas to look like bandages
5. Cut two slices from a pepperoni (or an olive for vegetarian version) and place as eyes
6. Bake in an oven at Gas 5/190c/375f for about 10 mins or until the cheese is bubbling and golden

 Mummy Sausages

1. Take one packet of pork chipolata sausages
2. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry, and using a pastry wheel cut into thin strips about 1cm wide
3. Lightly wet one side of the pastry to help it stick
4. Wrap each sausage in one or two strips of pastry leaving a small space about two thirds up for eyes
5. Bake in the oven at Gas 6/200c/400f for 15 to 17 mins
6. Once cooked, place on a cooling rack then put two small dots of mustard for eyes

Halloween Cakes, Cookies and Cupcakes

Eyeball Cookies

These are just iced sugar cookies, using my recipe from here.

I used a cookie cutter shaped as a rugby ball/American football. After the royal icing set, I popped a rice paper topper on top. If you have the time, you could also wait until the icing has set and is fully dry, then paint your eyeball on using a fine paint brush and food colouring.





Creepy Cupcakes

I made a dozen red velvet cupcakes to start with. Red velvet is essentially a moist chocolate sponge with a generous dose of red colouring. 

Ingredients:

• 60g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 eggs
• 125ml buttermilk
• red food colouring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 125g plain flour
• 1 dessertspoon cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. 
2. Line a muffin tins with 12 paper cases.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until light, pale and fluffy. 
4. Mix together the eggs, buttermilk, red food colouring and vanilla. 
5. Add to the sugar mixture a little at a time.
6. Sift together the bicarb, flour and cocoa powder. Stir in the salt, then add into the mixture. If using a machine, do this but until just until blended. Don't over beat or you will beat out all the air you incorporated.
7. Bake for 20-25 until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, or an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin set over a wire rack. 
8. When fully cooled, scoop out a little of the top and put in a teaspoon of raspberry jam.
9. Top with buttercream and decorate with edible glitter

Halloween Cake 
For this cake, I used a rich Victoria sponge recipe, times by 1.5 so I can make 3 layers.

Ingredients:

• 6 large free range eggs
• 335g self-raising flour
• 335g caster sugar
• 335g butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• black food colouring
• purple food colouring
• green food colouring

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale.
2. beat the eggs with the vanilla extract and add to the cake mixture a little at a time
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together then gently fold into the mixture
4. separate the mixture into 3 portions, and add the cocoa powder to one portion along with some black colouring.
5. to a second portion, add some green colouring
6. to the final portion, add some purple colouring
7. Bake the cakes at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 20-25 mins
8. Once cooled, sandwich each layer with buttercream, and then coat a thin layer over the outside
9. Allow this outside layer to set and harden a little before covering the cake with orange coloured fondant. 
10. Using a small amount of black coloured icing, pipe a design around the side