by Maggie Kruger
What’s that you say? “Food’s not spooky, Mags, you daft baggage! Food’s lovely!”
All I can say is
“How are those maggots, Michael?”
- The census taker, her liver, some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Are you with me yet?
OK, I’m not suggesting you go out and do anything rash with a power tool in preparation for your party, but you ARE going to have to think a bit further than chips and dips to cater for your fantastic Halloween party… here’s my picks…
Got a case of melon brain?
Ah, I love a good brain pâté!
1. Braaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnns
We’re all zombie fans here, what’s a little brain nibbling between chums?
How to do it: get a melon, peel it, (carefully) sculpt it, get creative with the red food colouring. BOOM! You’ve got yourself a brain. Type in ‘MELON BRAIN’ to your search engine of choice for inspiration and some helpful pictures.
Another way to do it: Again, head to your favourite search engine and type in ‘BRAIN PATE’. The results are certainly an eyeopener!! Did YOU know you can buy brainshaped jello moulds? I bloody LOVE Halloween, for that reason alone.
2. Mummy Dearest
Mummy's in a blanket!
OK, this one’s actually kind of cute. Great for kids and big kids alike (yeah Jason, I’m looking at you).
How to do it: Grab some pork sausages (sausage links in the US) and pop them in the oven till they’re cooked but not too browned. Let them cool down.
Take some thin strips of puff pastry and wrap them round your sausage, bandage-style, leaving a space near the top to draw in eyes after they’ve cooked.
Wash with egg and cook in the oven according to pastry instructions.
How do you save face? You deep freeze it, of course!
When they’re cooked take a thin brush and some food colouring, and paint in some eyes (you could also do this with mustard). They should look like this –
3. Your face or mine?
A mind bogglingly brilliant Halloween recipe, that I happened upon whilst idly searching the internet for spooky food ideas.
How to do it: Go online and type in ‘Halloween food flesh face’. There are some truly sick culinary geniuses out there.
I’ll never look at parma ham in the same way again.
4. Waiter? There’s a maggot in my soup…
Uhm, did that pasta just wiggle?
I think I’ve mentioned before my penchant for ‘The Lost Boys’. I mean, Kiefer Sutherland’s about as cool a vampire as you can get. I really love this scene, but I read somewhere that serving maggots to your friends is a bit of a social faux pas.
However, it wouldn’t be 31st October without a few creepy crawlies, would it?
How to do it: This is so simple. Go to your local pasta selling emporium, and ask for Orzo Pasta. Cook as per the pack instructions (with a pinch of saffron or turmeric to make them a particularly gross and authentic yellow colour), add it to anything and VOILA!
You’ve got maggots in your food!
Something wicked this way comes...
I’ve found a couple of recipes online of things you could specifically add it too (eg beef stew), but see what takes your fancy, you could also just serve up the pasta on its own in some olive oil and pesto for a truly manky side dish.
5. Witches Brew…
So you’re going to need something to drink with your Halloween Feast, and what better time to get freaky with your cocktails?
How to do it (X-rated): Again, the internet is your friend (as is the liquor store) – whip up some Bloody Rum Punch and garnish with some Witches Eyeballs (stuffed lychees). Or why not go with a good old fashioned Bloody Mary? See what takes your fancy (but please remember to drink responsibly).
How to do it (PG-13): Whip up a fruit punch – for added effect why not put your punchbowl in a cauldron of dry ice – it looks fantastic! (Just make sure you follow all the safety instructions).
What have I missed? What are your Halloween favourites? Come back next week for our last instalment… you’ve got the costume, the decor and the food – what movies are you actually going to watch?!
Maggie Kruger fell asleep on her dad’s lap on her first cinema trip to watch Return of the Jedi in 1983, and has loved the movies ever since, even going so far as to study them at college, where she worked on a number of short films. She lives and works in London, UK, and will tell you that her favourite film is Dr Strangelove, although when pressed will also admit a certain weakness for 1980’s brat pack movies and most of Adam Sandler’s early work.Follow her on Twitter: @emmizzykay .