Halloween Party Food

You've got the costumes, the party games, and the scary decorations - but what about the party food? Here's some great Halloween recipe ideas!

Toffee Apples

Apples are in season at Halloween - so why not use them for this sweet and tasty treat?

What you'll need:

225g of granulated sugar
100ml water
30g butter
2 tablebspoons of golden syrup
6 apples (Cox's Apples are usually best!)
6 wooden sticks (like ice-lolly sticks)

Put the sugar and water into a pan, and make sure the sugar dissolves over a low heat. Once you've done this, add the butter and syrup, and and bring to the boil, without stirring, until your toffe mixture reaches a soft-crack stage. At this stage, take your apples (with the sticks pushed in halfway), and dip it into the mixture, coating each one well with the toffee.

Leave the apples to harden on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, and then enjoy!

Scotch Apples

If toffee’s not your thing, why not have your apples with sausage? It’s not as weird as it sounds…

What you’ll need

1 apple
50g sausage meat.
2 eggs, beaten.
1 tbsp. flour.
175g dried breadcrumbs.
Cooking oil.
Peel your apple, and slice into small pieces (leaving out the core, of course!) Divide your sausage meat into pieces, before shaping each portion around a piece of floured apple, making sure that the apple is completely covered.
One you’ve done this, dip each ball in beaten eggs and then coat with breadcrumbs.
Heat a little cooking oil in a frying pan and gently fry the balls for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and cooked all the way through, before serving hot or cold.

Severed Fingers and Eyeballs

A halloween-ish take on the classic bangers and mash!

What you'll need:

Potatoes
Salt
Butter
Some milk
Tomato Ketchup
Sausages

Boil the potatoes before mashing, and then add the salt, butter and milk according to your taste. When the potatoes are mashed, mould them into balls, and press a deep thumb-print into each one. Place the balls onto a baking tray, and cook in the oven for 20 mintues at 160ºC.

When the balls are ready, take them from the oven, and fill the thumbprint holes with bloody tomato ketchup. Serve with sausages as severed fingers, with as much ketchup 'blood' as you can handle!

Pumpkin Pie

Once you've hollowed out your halloween pumpkin, don't throw the insides away - use it to make a delicious pumpkin pie!

What you'll need:

For the pastry -
175g of plain flour
75g of Butter
2 tablespoons of cold water
A pinch of salt

For the filling -
450g Pumpkin, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
275ml of double cream
75g of brown sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add 2 tablespoons of cold water to mix it into a firm dough, then wrap it in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, steam the pumpkin chunks, then place in a sieve and press lightly to extract any excess water.
Whisk the eggs and yolk. Place the sugar, spices and cream in a pan and bring to a simmer, stirring with a whisk regularly. Pour this mixture over the eggs and whisk again briefly. Add the pumpkin puree and combine.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 20cm flan dish. Prick the surface and blind bake at 190ºC/375ºF/Gas mark 5 for 15 minutes until just firm to the touch.
Now, pour the filling into the pastry case and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, by which time the top will puff up around the edges but still feel slightly wobbly in the centre. Place on a wire cooling rack. Serve chilled with créme fraïche, although warm is also fine.

Pumpkin Punch

At Halloween, we usually use our pumpkins as lanterns... but how about using one as a unique Halloween punch bowl? But don't worry if you've not got a pumpkin... this delicious Halloween punch can also be served in regular punch bowls!

What you'll need:

A pumpkin (hollowed out and well cleaned!)
2 oranges
Whole cloves
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
120m of pineapple juice
1 1/2 litres of apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
50ml of honey

Stud your oranges with cloves, and place into an oven preheated to 350 degrees fahrenheit, or 175 degrees celcius, making sure they're spaced apart, and bake for thirty minutes. While you're waiting for these to cook, take a large saucepan, and fill it with the apple juice, together with your cinammon stick. Bring the juice to the boil, before simmering for five minutes. After this, remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the nutmeg and honey, together with your lemon and pineapple juice.

Pour your mixture into the hollow pumpkin (or punch bowl!), with your clove studded baked oranges floating on top!