Wednesday 19 October 2011

{Halloween Special} Jack O' Lantern, Black Cat Pumpkin Soup, Eyeballs Fettuccine And Death By Chocolate

Halloween is the celebration typically held on 31st October each year where this date marked the end of the summer and beginning of the cold winter which was often a time of death. As usually this year you could also join in some Halloween event at some of the tourist attraction such as Universality Studios Singapore, Halloween Horror Nights(here), Sentosa Spooktacular (here), FrightFest@Singapore Flyer (here) and etc.

This is the second year (read last year post, here) I cooked Halloween theme dishes despite that we don't actually celebrate this festival. Same as last year I have cooked a creamy pumpkin soup but with fusion of Asian and Western ingredients. And for this year we have a set Dinner Menu that comes with salad, soup, pasta and dessert with Halloween theme decorated.



JACK O' LANTERN GARDEN SALAD


To start off the Halloween Feast, you can serve your usual salad using these "Orange Cups" that are carved to resemble mini version of Jack O' Lanterns. And as for the stuffing you could choose any of your desire salad green but here I feel "mesclun" look better with their curl leaves and colours for this spooky theme. 

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cookingnone)

Ingredients: 
4 Big Oranges
1 Packet of Mesclun Salad Leaves
2 Tablespoons Salad Dressing of Your Choice


Method:-
1. Cut 1/4 off from the top of the orange, carefully remove pulp and try not to puncture the bottoms of orange

2. Next use a fruit knife, slowly cut out the eyes, nose and mouth of the "Jack O' Lantern" from the orange. Set side and continue with the rest.

3. Toss Mesclun salad leaves with desire dressing before stuffing them into the prepared orange cups and serve as starter.



CURRY PUMPKIN SOUP
with Black Cat and Bat Cheese Toppings


This hearty and savoury soup is a perfect starter to fill your hungry as well as to calm you down after a night of fright. For your information pumpkin is a nutrient rich food in Vitamin A and E which is good for your eyes and skin too.

(serves: 2 - 3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking15 minutes)


Ingredients: 
500g Pumpkin, skin removed and cubes
1 Medium Brown Onion, chopped
1 Golden Delicious Apples, peeled, cored and chopped
20g Unsalted Butter
1/2 Teaspoon minced Fresh Ginger
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder, optional
1 Tablespoon Plain Flour
1 Can(399 ml) Swanson Clear Chicken Broth
60ml Coconut Milk
Salt And Pepper
Plain yogurt/Coconut Milk for serving, optional


Method:-
1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, add onion, apples and ginger and saute until tender for about 5 minutes.

2. Sprinkle flour and curry powder over onion mixture and stir for 1 minute (stir till well mixed).

3. Next gradually whisk in chicken broth and bring it to boil before adding in the pumpkin cubes.

4. When the mixture boils again, reduce heat and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes till pumpkin soften.

5. Remove pan from heat, slowly stir in the coconut milk till well combined and set the mixture aside to cool slightly.

6. Working in two or three batches, pour soup into blender and blend until smooth (about 10 seconds).


7. Return soup to pot to rewarm and serve hot with yogurt/coconut milk and decorate it with black cat and bat cheese toppings. (place black egg sheet/seaweed cat/bat cutout on sandwich cheese before using a toothpick to trace the outline to cut the desire shape)

Surprisingly this soup taste great with hint of spices from the curry powder and slightly sweet in flavour due to the type of pumpkin(I used Australia “blue” pumpkin which is a golden flesh with fine-textured meat) use and adding of apple. Also for this creamy soup we have a swap of using Asian coconut milk instead of pouring cream to enhance the flavour.


EYEBALLS FETTUCCINE
(Spinach Fettuccine with Meatballs in Tomato Sauce)


As for Main Course we wanted something quick and yet spooky. So after some brainstorm sessions we decided to settle for this Spinach Fettuccine with Cheesy Meatballs that served with ready-made Traditional Tomato Pasta Sauce. 

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking20 minutes)

Ingredients: 
4 Servings of Spinach Fettuccine Pasta, about 375g
16 Cheesy Meatballs
1 Bottle(397g) Prego Traditional Tomato Pasta Sauce
1 Packet Baby Asparagus
Some Red Capsicum
4 Hard Boiled Egg, half
Some Black Olive, cut into rings


Method:-
1. Cook pasta in large saucepan of boiling water until tender, drain and divide among serving plates.

2. Bring some water (lightly season it with some olive oil and salt) to boil in a pan, blanch asparagus in boiling water for 10 seconds then refresh it in cold water.

3. Drain well and decorate it with some red capsicum cubes to resemble "green fingers with red nails". Arrange them into the cooked fettuccine. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, fry meatballs in a frying pan with some olive oil until slightly brown in colour.

4. Stir in tomato paste sauce and simmer over low heat for about 3 minutes. Turning the meatballs occasionally to coat the sauce.

5. When done, spoon mixture over pasta and assemble the hard-boiled egg on top to form the gruesome eyeballs.

The purpose of using "spinach" fettuccine instead of plain is to create the effect of a green hair monster to accompany the gruesome eyeballs. And in order to make it more colourful and spooky, I added some blanched asparagus decorated with red capsicum to act as the "monster fingers".   


DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
(Chocolate Trifle with Mixed Berry Yoghurt)


Finally after a hearty and delicious meal with salad, soup and pasta, here comes the dessert of the day. If you are a weight-watcher who loves chocolate, this will be a great dessert with different layers of texture starting from the crunchy biscuit crumbs base, soft and moist chocolate roll in between two layers of smooth and fragrant mixed berry yoghurt. And to make it more attractive for the Halloween theme, we have add on some crushed oreo to act as the soil together with herb and grummy worms.

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cookingnone)

Ingredients: 
300g Mixed Berry Yogurt
8 Oreo Cookies, cream removed and finely crushed
4 Slices of Chocolate Sweet Roll
8 Piece of Digestive Biscuits
Some Grummy Worms
20g Dark Chocolate, melt and cool


Method:-
1. Using melt chocolate, pipe the word "RIP" on 4 pieces of Digestive Biscuit and keep them in the fridge till ready to use.

2. Roughly crushed the remaining digestive biscuit and divide the crumbs into 4 serving glass.

3. Next top with 1 layer of chocolate roll follow by some mixed berry yogurt.

4. Repeat with 2nd layer of chocolate roll, yogurt and sprinkle the top layer evenly with fine Oreo crumbs. Keep in the fridge.

5. Before serving, top with the decorated digestive biscuit together with some grummy worms and edible flower/herbs.

This is a very flexible dessert as you can use any type of biscuit crumbs available in your pantry as well as your desire flavour of yoghurt to suit your family or guests. Here I hope with these 4 quick and easy "Tricks" on preparing the Halloween Feast you would be able to have some ideas to start off with your own Halloween "Treats" to surprise your family or guests. And if you have some interesting ideas on Halloween dishes/bakes and etc on your blog, do leave your blog link in the comment box to share it with us too!

26 comments:

  1. Foodfortots19/10/11 8:53 am

    They are such deliciously creepy Halloween creations! Well done, Ellena!

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  2. wow ellena, all i can say is that you're crazy! crazy imaginative!!

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  3. wow that seems a big effort.  Great ideas.

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  4. very creative. the two eyeballs look more like.. haa!

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  5. WOW! WOW! I love all your Halloween creations :D Amazing!!!

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  6. omg this is so creative. such a delight to look at!

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  7. Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love.19/10/11 11:48 am

    How fun is this Halloween meal?!! I love it all, but especially that pasta! How fun!!

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  8. I love everything you made... especially the orange jack o lantern.
    Those popping eyeballs are great!

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  9. Low Yi Juan19/10/11 2:24 pm

    i love all the dishes created.. got the spooky feel :)

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  10. You are really creative! If here got masterchef, you must join. :)

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  11. What a great creation.Love soup the best:))

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  12. Amazing Ellena!  You are so creative!!!  I wish I can attend a party like this... or I can host a party like this.  Hehee. 

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  13. Thanks Nami. I am sure you can come out with some interesting too :) Does your side celebrate Halloween?

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  14. Thanks Dzoli :) So are u making anything this coming Halloween?

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  15. Aiyo SSB cannot la.. Masterchef level is too tough for me. I am just a homecook :)

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  16. Thanks Wendy, tat popping eyeballs are specially top for my boy as he loves hard boiled egg :)

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  17. Thanks Ann, Edith, Foodfortots, Misstamchiak, sotong, Stephanie for your kind words.

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  18. This is such a fun post!  I love all these recipes, so cute.....and creepy!  :)

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  19. I wish you can invite me to attend a party like this, all look so interesting and creative!

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  20. I particularly like the Eyeball Fettucine and Curry Pumpkin Soup. Really creative for a halloween theme

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  21. Wow, that Eyeball Fettucine really freaky!  Well done!

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  22. These are beyond clever! I know people are going gah-gah over the eyeball pasta. But I must say, I really liked the "carved'' oranges. They are adorable and make such cute little table settings.

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  23. mycookinghut22/10/11 11:06 pm

    OMG!! So cute! I love everything you made!

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  24. Really creative ideas -- great job!

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  25. Toriqul islam1/11/11 8:52 pm

     


    Excellent publish from specialist also it will probably be a
    fantastic know how to me and thanks very much for posting this useful data
    with us all.


      British Food

    ReplyDelete

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Regards
Ellena (Cuisine Paradise)

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