NACHOS PUMPKIN FONDUE
A delicious blend of Cheddar, Emmental and White Wine makes this a melty delight for your Halloween party . Serve with cherry tomato-topped nachos and it will be a guest favourite!
INGREDIENTS:
2-3kg round edible pumpkin
1½ tbsp olive oil
250g Emmental, finely grated
2 tbsp (20g) cornflour
125ml crème fraîche
100ml white wine
½ garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp chipotle paste
½ tsp smoked paprika
400g pack lightly salted tortilla chips
2 spring onions, sliced
12 jalapeño slices, chopped
100g cherry tomatoes, chopped
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180 ̊C, fan 160 ̊C. Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp, reserving the seeds. Rub 1 tbsp oil over the pumpkin and inside the hollow, place on a baking sheet and top with the pumpkin lid. Roast for 1 hr or until tender.
- Mix the cheeses in a bowl with the cornflour. In a separate bowl, mix the crème fraîche, wine, garlic and chipotle sauce. Stir everything together, then tip into the pumpkin. Put the lid on and roast for 15 mins, then remove the lid and cook for another 15 mins or until bubbling and the cheese is fully melted.
- Meanwhile, mix the pumpkin seeds with the smoked paprika and remaining oil and tip onto the baking sheet next to the pumpkin for the last 5 mins of the cooking time to toast.
- Serve the pumpkin fondue with the tortilla chips for dipping, garnished with the toasted pumpkin seeds, spring onion, jalapeños and tomatoes.
ORANGE CHEESECAKE
Topped with creepy chocolate shapes to decorate this spooky chocolate orange cheesecake recipe is the perfect dessert for your Halloween party. With a crumbly Oreo base, cream cheese chocolate filling and an orange jelly top, it’s guaranteed to impress.
INGREDIENTS:
vegetable oil, for greasing
2 x 154g packs Oreo biscuits
80g unsalted butter, melted
400g full-fat soft cheese
90g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
130ml double cream
225g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 tbsp cocoa powder
3½ gelatine leaves
300ml smooth orange juice
40g granulated sugar
orange gel food colouring (optional)
METHOD:
- Lightly grease a deep, loose- based, 20cm cake tin with oil and line the base with nonstick baking paper. Put the Oreos in a food processor and blitz to crumbs. Reserve 1½ tbsp, then transfer the rest to a bowl and stir in the melted butter to give the texture of wet sand. Use to line the tin, tightly packing along the base and sides, allowing the sides to get slightly thinner and more jagged at the top. Chill for 30 mins to harden.
- Meanwhile, put the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until well combined; whisk in the cream.
- Melt 150g chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water. Whisk the melted chocolate and cocoa powder into the cheese mixture until well combined, then spoon into the cheesecake crust. Level with a spatula or the back of a spoon and leave to set in the fridge for 45 mins.
- Meanwhile, put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water and leave to soften for 5 mins. Put the orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan and warm over a low heat until just steaming and the sugar has dissolved. Squeeze any excess water from the soaked gelatine leaves and stir into the orange juice until dissolved. Allow the jelly mixture to cool at room temperature until it no longer feels warm to the touch, stirring occasionally. Whisk in a little food colouring to deepen the colour, if you like, then pour over the cheesecake. Allow to set in the fridge for 2 hrs or until set to the touch.
- Line a baking tray with nonstick baking paper. Melt the remaining 75g chocolate, stir, then pour into a small piping bag or freezer bag. Snip the end off the bag and pipe 12-15 trees and 5-6 gravestones onto the baking paper. Freeze for 15 mins. When the chocolate shapes have set, carefully poke them into the jelly to stand up. Scatter over the reserved Oreo crumbs to serve.
SPOOKY WATERMELON
Add a tropical twist to your buffet this Halloween. Not only will it leave those who see it with shakes, but it might inspire kids to eat more fruit, too. A deliciously sweet yet healthy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-, dairy- and egg-free Halloween treat.
INGREDIENTS:
1 watermelon
200g red grapes, halved
200g pineapple chunks
200g cantaloupe chunks
METHOD:
- Rest a small watermelon on a flat surface and, using a sharp knife, carve out a large mouth shape with pointy teeth. Scoop out a little of the flesh inside the mouth, chop and set aside. Carve triangles for eyes and a smaller triangle for a nose. Put the watermelon on a serving plate or cake stand.
- Fill the mouth with the chopped watermelon, some halved red grapes and chunks of pineapple and cantaloupe, letting the fruit tumble out onto the plate.
- Your jack-o’-lantern will keep in the fridge for 24 hrs, but cut and arrange the fruit to fill the mouth just before serving. It will keep for about 1 hr at room temperature.
HALLOWEEN PEPPER DIPPERS
Create a simple and fun Halloween snack, perfect for both grown-ups and kids, using just three ingredients. Cut out fun pumpkin faces in orange peppers, fill with shop-bought hummus and dunk in extra pepper strips and tortilla chips
INGREDIENTS:
3 orange peppers
2 x 300g tubs hummus
1 pack lightly salted tortilla chips, or 500g pack mixed peppers, deseeded and cut into strips
METHOD:
- Cut around the stalk of the orange peppers to create lids, being careful to leave the opening wide enough for dipping. Pull out the tops from stalks and slice off the attached seeds. Discard the seeds and reserve the tops. Remove any remaining seeds from inside the peppers.
- Use a small sharp knife to cut ‘monster’ and ‘jack-o-lantern-style’ faces into the orange peppers. Slice a little off the base to level if necessary, being careful not to slice all the way through.
- Fill the orange peppers with the hummus. Replace the lids until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips or pepper strips.
