Be our guest at the party, or else you might be on the menu!
(Served on fine china place settings and silver serving dishes)
Bloody Ears (Puffed Pastry Rollups)
Ingredients
• 1/2 small red pepper, minced
•4 oz. pepperoni, minced
• 1/3 C. mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1/4 C. freshly grated parmesan cheese
•1/4 C. pizza sauce
•2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (or 200 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them.
In a small bowl, stir together the red pepper, pepperoni, mozzarella, and parmesan. This
helps with even distribution.
Unfold two sheets of puff pastry and smooth seams if needed.
With a small spoon or a brush, coat the surface of each sheet of puff pastry lightly with pizza sauce. At one edge of each pastry sheet, leave about an inch bare. This will help keep it together when you roll it up.
Sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over each pastry sheet.
Starting from the side without the plain (pizza-sauce-free) edge, roll your pastry up firmly but not too tightly.
When you get to the plain edge, apply a little water to the plain section and seal firmly against the roll.
Cut each roll into 1/2″ slices with a very sharp or serrated knife. It can help to refrigerate the rolls a little while before slicing if the dough gets too soft.
Curl the pieces slightly into an ear shape and place on backing sheet. Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden-brown.
Hannibal Lecter Antipasto Tray
Meat Head
Purchase Styrofoam skull. Wrap it with plastic wrap. Make sure it is completely wrapped (I left the teeth of the skull exposed). Add several layers if you have to. Smear with cream cheese all over. Layer with strips of favorite ham or deli meat (I used prosciutto for taste and the ghoulish affect). Fill eye sockets with mozzarella eyeballs – see instructions below). Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
Mozzarella Eyeballs
Purchase black olives, large green olives and mozzarella balls. You will also need a
smoothie straw (slightly larger than normal) and a normal straw. Slice off the end of a
green olive, then use your straw to punch a hole in the center. Then slice of a piece of
black olive and use the straw to punch out a plug of black. Then place the black piece
in the hole of the green olive. Use the large straw to cut a hole in the mozzarella ball
and insert the olive “iris”.
Bloody Fingers
Tear wieners (I used all beef, normal length but bun length would give more space to
create better knuckles) in half. If you want them to look cut, slice them, but if you want
them to look torn off, just break them. I tried pinking shears with poor results. Slice
each half in half lengthwise.
Cut three shallow slices into the middle of each. To do this quickly, you can line up
several fingers and cut across all of them with your knife at once. Boil them in a soy
sauce and sugar mixture, which will accentuate the slits and darken the fingers. Used
1/2 cup each of water, sugar, and light soy sauce. Bring to a boil and then let them
simmer for about 20 minutes. (I cooked my wiener worms (the same wieners cut in
quarters lengthwise) along with them.)
After they’ve cooled, take a teardrop or oval cutter or a knife or the smoothie straw from
the mozzarella eyeball recipe (find what works for you) and gently press down on the
rounded end of the hot dogs to make the cut for the fingernail. Then just take a knife
and slice skin off the oval/teardrop shape. This forms the fingernail bed. I ran out of
time but intended to attach onion nails with ketchup.
Marinated Mushroom Skulls
Purchase a jar of marinated mushrooms. Carve out eyes, nose and slice a little off the
bottom to shape a chin. This was very difficult since the mushrooms were slippery and
tough to carve. OR use fresh mushrooms, carve them (which is much easier…I tried it)
and then follow your favorite marinated mushroom recipe.
Bloody Skull (Shrimp Spread w/Cocktail Sauce)
Ingredients
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 pound small or medium shrimp
•1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
•1/2 cup mayonnaise
•1 green onion, finely chopped, white and green parts
•2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Dash hot sauce
•Dash black pepper
Instructions
Bring 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the
shrimp. When the water returns to the boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the shrimp to sit for 5 minutes. Drain, peel and devein.
Place the shrimp in a food processor and pulse about 8 to 10 times, until they are finely
chopped but not mushy. Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green onion,
mustard, hot sauce, and pepper in a bowl until well combined; stir in the shrimp.
Line a 2-cup mold or glass bowl with plastic wrap, leaving lots of overhang. Place the
shrimp mixture into the mold, packing tightly with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap
overhang and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, unwrap the overhang and invert the mold onto a plate. Remove
the plastic wrap. Allow to come to room temperature before serving with water crackers
or another favorite snack cracker.
For Halloween, a skull mold was used. Roasted red pepper pieces were used for the
eyes and as a garnish around the skull. I would recommend more than just a dash of
hot sauce and or pepper. More heat would have been good.
Severed Hand Cheeseball
Ingredients
•1 8-ounce brick cream cheese, softened
•1/2 cup sour cream
•1 cup shredded mozzarella
•1/2 cup grated parmesan
•1/2 sundried tomatoes, chopped
•1/2 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
•A palmful dried oregano
•A palmful red pepper flakes
•Pepper
Instructions
In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella, parmesan cheese and sundried tomatoes. Form the cheese mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap to chill for 1 hour.
In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper. Once cheeseball is set, roll the cheese ball in (or pat on) the pizza seasoning mix.
Peanut Butter (Eye) Balls
Ingredients
•1 cup confectioners’ sugar
•1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
•3 tablespoons butter, softened
•½- pound white candy coating, coarsely chopped
•24 blue M&M’s
Instructions
Combine confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter and butter. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on a waxed paper-lined pan. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
In a microwave, melt white candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating; allow excess to
drip off. Place on waxed paper. Immediately press an M&M onto the top of each eyeball. Let stand for 30 minutes or until set.
Bones
Ingredients
80 mini marshmallows
40 pretzel sticks
16 oz of white candy melting chips or cubes of white chocolate
Instructions
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. You may need a couple
Push a mini marshmallow onto each end of each pretzel stick.
Melt the white candy by heating in the microwave for 45 seconds, stirring and repeating until
melted and smooth.
Using a fork, dip the pretzel sticks with marshmallows on each end in the white chocolate to
coat completely. Shake off excess and place on prepared baking sheet.
Let pretzels sit on the counter to set up. If they aren’t covered well, you can dip them a second
time. But once is usually enough.
Bloody Red Velvet Cheeseball Skull
Ingredients
•8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
•½ cup butter, at room temperature
•1 ½ cups red velvet cake mix, dry
•2 tablespoons brown sugar
•½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or food processor) beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Add the red velvet cake mix, brown sugar and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and
combined.
Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap up into a ball and refrigerate for at least
2 hours. (For Halloween, the mixture was pressed into a skull mold lined with plastic wrap and
refrigerated overnight.)
Dust with sifted powdered sugar covering the eyes and other areas which should remain red
before dusting.
Place on a serving plate and serve with vanilla wafers, graham crackers or sugar cookies.
Panna Cotta Brain
Ingredients
• 3 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
• 5 packages unflavored powdered gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Red and blue and yellow food coloring (start with 4 drops each and adjust as needed)
•2 cups cranberry juice
Instructions
Combine 1 can of evaporated milk with four packages gelatin and bloom for five minutes.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the remaining milk and heavy cream to a boil. Stir in the
sugar, vanilla and salt. Combine this mixture with the gelatin mixture and stir until all solids have
dissolved. Pour the mixture into a six-cup brain mold. Refrigerate overnight to fully set.
For the glaze, combine remaining gelatin with half a cup of cranberry juice. Bring remaining 1
1/2 cups of juice to a boil and stir into gelatin mixture to dissolve any solids. Pour into a squeeze
bottle and leave at room temperature until panna cotta brain is set.
Unmold the panna cotta and drizzle the glaze over it. The glaze will set up immediately (maybe).
Stuffed Date Roaches (Scattered around the table – wouldn’t roaches be interested in this party??)
Ingredients
•1/3 Cup cream cheese, softened
•¼ Cup walnuts, chopped semi-fine
•20 – 30 dates, pitted
Instructions
Combine cream cheese and nuts until well mixed. Gently fill each date with cream cheese
mixture. Turn split/stuffed side down on platter.
Cold Spiced Cider Punch
Ingredients
•1 cup sugar
2 quarts apple cider
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1 teaspoon ground allspice
•1 (12 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
•1- liter ginger ale, chilled
Instructions
Stir sugar, 1 cup cider, cinnamon, and allspice together in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over
medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, then stir in orange juice and the rest of the
cider.
Put a lid on the Dutch oven and turn off the heat. Let the cider cool down a little bit, then
refrigerate. Chill thoroughly (2 to 3 hours).
To serve, pour into a large serving bowl and add ginger ale. Add shrunken heads (see below).
Makes: 3 quarts
Shrunken Heads (Apple Garnish for Punch)
Ingredients
•4 apples (or 1 apple per 2 guests if you want to serve them in each glass)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 170C/340F and line a baking tray with parchment. Peel the apples and
cut them in half and take out the core-use a melon baller to do this easily. Then with the
small side of the baller or a paring knife, dig out eyes and a mouth and nose-make them
all different. You will have eight faces. Place on the baking tray and bake for 30-40
minutes until the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and add the cloves for
eyes.
