How to surprise guests on Halloween: five recipes for a terrifyingly delicious evening
Kyiv • UNN
Smoked pumpkin cream soup, "witch finger" cookies, and "jelly brain" will create an atmosphere of real magic. UNN tells how to impress guests with dishes in the spirit of the darkest night of the year.
This Halloween, the festive menu can be just as spectacular as the costume or decor. Pumpkin cream soup with a smoky flavor, "witch finger" cookies, and "jelly brain" will create an atmosphere of true magic. How to impress guests with dishes in the spirit of the darkest night of the year, writes UNN.
Smoked Pumpkin Cream Soup
Bright orange color, a "bowl" made of pumpkin, and ghost-shaped decor make this dish a true Halloween classic.
Ingredients:
- 1 small pumpkin (1-1.2 kg);
- 1 carrot;
- 1 onion;
- 2 tbsp. olive oil;
- 400 ml cream (10% or 15%);
- salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, smoked paprika (optional).
Method of preparation
Preheat oven to 200 °C. Cut the pumpkin into cubes, and the carrot finely. Bake the pumpkin and carrot for 20-25 minutes until soft. Sauté the onion in oil in a pan until translucent, add the pumpkin and carrot. Transfer everything to a saucepan, pour in the cream and bring to a boil, then blend until creamy.
Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and smoked paprika, if you want a "smoky" effect. Serve in a bowl or even in the pumpkin itself, garnished with a strip of cream in the shape of a "ghost."
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"Witch Finger" Cookies
A dessert with a real "wow" effect will impress children and adults: finger shape, imitation blood, and almonds in the form of creepy nails.
Ingredients:
- 200 g soft butter;
- 100 g powdered sugar;
- 1 yolk + 1 egg;
- ½ tsp. vanilla;
- 300 g flour;
- a pinch of salt;
- 36 whole almonds (for "nails");
- raspberry or strawberry jam for "blood" imitation.
Method of preparation
Beat butter with powdered sugar until light and creamy, add yolk, egg, vanilla, and salt. Mix in flour and knead the dough until smooth. Form "fingers" about 10 cm long, press an almond into one end. Make a few grooves with a finger or knife to imitate joints.
Bake cookies for 15 minutes at 170 °C until light golden. After cooling, apply jam near the "nail" for a "blood" effect.
"Spider" Muffins
Chocolate, marshmallows, and "cobwebs" - the formula for a perfect Halloween dessert with a festive atmosphere.
Ingredients:
- 180 g sugar;
- 120 g melted butter;
- 2 eggs;
- 230 g flour;
- 4 tbsp. cocoa powder;
- 150 g chocolate chips;
- 100 g marshmallows for topping.
Method of preparation
Mix eggs, butter, sugar. In a separate bowl - flour, cocoa, salt. Combine the contents of both containers, add chocolate chips. Fill molds ¾ full and bake for 20-25 minutes at 160 °C. Melt marshmallows for 20-30 seconds in the microwave and apply "cobwebs" to cooled muffins. If desired - decorate with plastic "spiders."
"Brain" from Jelly
Guests will definitely pay attention to a dessert with a "wow" effect, yet quite simple to prepare.
Ingredients:
- 1 packet of jelly (e.g., strawberry);
- 200 ml cream or milk;
- red food coloring or berry sauce for "blood";
- brain-shaped mold (or hemisphere).
Method of preparation
Prepare jelly according to instructions, but replace part of the water with cream/milk to get a delicate pink hue. Pour into the mold and refrigerate until set. Once set, carefully place the jelly on a plate. Pour "blood" (sauce or dye) for a "wow" effect.
"Vampire's Blood" Cocktail
An impressive and easy-to-prepare cocktail will perfectly complement desserts.
Ingredients (per 1 serving):
- 50 ml vodka (or non-alcoholic alternative: e.g., juice);
- 1 tsp. grenadine;
- 100 ml lemonade;
- juice of ½ lemon.
Method of preparation
Prepare the glass: apply grenadine around the rim of the glass so that it drips down, creating an imitation of blood drops. Pour in vodka (or juice), add lemon juice, grenadine, then top up with lemonade. Stir and serve with a cocktail straw.
