Something Wicked This Way Comes . . . For Dinner

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Something wicked this way comes for dinner this Halloween. Unlike most Halloween meals that embrace the holiday with disgusting-looking but good-tasting fare (think peeled grapes as eye balls and bowls of spaghetti masquerading as guts), this dinner is going to look as good as it tastes. But don’t be fooled by its slick veneer. The spread may look heavenly but it is as sinfully delicious as the Devil himself.

It is hard to forget the horror of most childhood memories of Halloween-themed meals. Aside from candy and cupcakes, most of the food was meant to be fondled for maximum gross-out factor rather than to be consumed. Other than that, dinner was usually just an all-out battle to trade up for the most desirable Halloween candy, Snickers trump suckers and no one wants the Tootsie rolls.

Rather than disgusting, intestine inspired food or a bowl of sweets certain to lead to nothing but insulin shock, how about a meal that’s decadent enough to send you straight to hell, licking your lips the whole way down. There are more than a few devilish delights that make for a great Halloween spread.

First, why fake blood when you can eat the real thing? Morcilla sausage, or blood sausage, somewhat of an acquired taste in this part of the world, is actually a fairly common food from Eastern Europe to South East Asia, and over to Latin America. Blood sausage is made by cooking blood, usually pig or cow blood, with a filler such as rice until the mixture becomes thick so it will congeal when the casings are filled and cooled. Blood sausage would be tricky to make by oneself, but can be found at specialty markets and online stores such as www.tienda.com.

Moving on to more typical wicked fare, there are actually several foods that take their names from the Ruler of the Underworld himself. Take Deviled eggs. I know Deviled eggs are likely to conjure visions of cocktail parties from half a century ago, but the roots of the dish speak to nothing but sinful delights. Although popular in both France and the United States, it appears the deviled egg actually hails from Rome.

And the name, which makes reference to the very spicy ingredients which used to be in the original version, has held a trademark in the form of the Underwood Red Devil (a deviled ham) since 1870. Today, “deviling” can be done to any number of food stuffs from fish to meat, and can be seasoned with anything from paprika and cayenne, to horseradish and Dijon mustard. A classic deviled egg topped with a hedonistic treat such as lobster or crab makes for a decadent good eat.

Devils on Horseback, a less expensive version of the oyster-based Angels on Horseback, is a totally hedonistic dish that, for its name alone, earns a place at anyone’s sinfully delicious Halloween feast. The Devils, so named because of their dark color, start with either a prune or a date, but fresh dates make for a far sweeter treat.

Using a sharp knife to remove the pit, the date or prune is then stuffed with a blanched almond, some mango chutney, or even cheese. Closed back up, the dried fruit is then wrapped with a strip of bacon, secured with a toothpick, and placed under a broiler until the bacon is crispy and the date or prune has warmed up while absorbing the flavors and fats of the bacon that is holding it together. No matter the filler, the end result is a bite-sized hors d’oeuvre that mixes salty and sweet, crispy with soft, and a mouthful of sinfully rich flavors.

The kids can keep their candy, but in a grown-up world, a holiday such as this calls for something more than noodles and grapes. Adult tastes and desires deserve satisfaction on the day that celebrates our vices, allows indulgence in our fantasies, and gives a general one-day excuse to listen to that Devil sitting on our shoulder. So if a sinfully rich meal can send you to a heavenly Hell, then this year, I’m driving the bus.

Serves/Makes: 16 pcs

• 8 hard boiled eggs
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 gherkin pickles, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• salt and black pepper
• 8 ounces crab
• fine sea salt
• minced chives

Serves/Makes: 24 pcs

• 24 fresh Medjool dates
• 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
• 12 strips thick applewood smoked bacon
• 24 toothpicks