[shroomgirl]

Anyone got some ideas?
Women's Event, 125 guests
$22 budget
offsite in a building, but no kitchen catered. Buffet up 1 hour.
Dracula theme

this could be so fun.....I just got the call, I've done loads of events for them before ....all I can think of is "shots of bloody mary or tamato juice blood" and that's sorta lame....other thoughts seem juvenile.
bats,coffins, silver bullet ? is that the right ghoul?, cross? hmmmm
Halloweeny.

Last year's menu for same event different theme was cheeses...lavosh, nuts, dried fruit

brie with cranberry tangerine goo....you know it was a fluke but really really tasty.

salmon on pumpernickle triangles with pink peppercorns

chicken curry sandwich with apricot chutney

Chevre with roasted piquillas open face on baguette slice

Veg. dips

Dessert was jewel tarts
tiny tarts....
lemon brulee
chocolate cups with chambord mousse and raspberry
apricot orange chevre tart
chocolate truffles

[thetincook]

The only thing I can think of is blood=sangria.

I've used a star tip with pate a choux to make pumpkin looking puffs.

It's kind of hard to do themed food like that with/out it looking like a kindergarten party. It is for me anyway...

I'm a sucker for bat shaped cookies.


I like your menu though. Is the salmon lox or something else? Diggin the apricot curry chicken salad. I've done a similar thing to your chevre but with a sundried tomato relish (sun dried tomatoes, sherry vin, a little sugar). I'm a goo fan too.

[shroomgirl]

it's ALL about the goo!!!

ok ok think think think.......tiny potatoes with the top off and s/c and caviar...eye balls

remember women.....

ok how about baby springrolls with something under the layer to look like a fingernail....

red pepper cross on the chevre crostini...

bones....maybe the leg of a chicken wing stuffed, marinated, pulled up into a ball....dem bones

or a grape with blue cheese...eye balls ????

tomato slice, open face with ?????
bats....bats....olives?

capes, coffins....small hard rolls that are filled with something? could be chicken again sorta coffiny

open sandwich with chevre and too red dots...."the bite"

of course wax vampire teeth as decor.....

now desserts, think think think......raspberry brulee tarts
chocolate brownie or truffles that look like bats
blondies....it should be alittle more upscale
hmmmmm
a few years ago we did liquid apple pies in plastic communion glasses.....raw cider, caramel, apple pie spice whipped cream, tiny oatmeal cookie....tastes just like apple pie.

pumpkin tart with praline??????

how about something that looks like candy corn....but is higher end? think think....

[ChefTorrie]

I dont know how you are with baking, but here is one of my halloween favorites for dessert!

A Crocombouche that looks like a pile of rotten eye balls! It is kind of tricky to figure out how to decorate them, but I did this every year for about 6 Halloweens untill about 2 years ago.

P.S. ---My recipe for the cream puffs for the Crocombouche is Nationally renowned! So if you would like it, let me know!

Always willing to help!

[shroomgirl]

um....probably the same nationally known "recipe" I've used. rotten eyes?

Candy corn....orange, lemon, vanilla conical something.....hmmmmm
maybe little chevre cheese cake layers...hmmmm....or .....

oh yeah I do have a cotton candy maker....spider webs?????Larry Forgione was making apple cotton candy for some event last year, I've no clue what he used for flavor.....

dry ice is fun, really fun....it's the smoke thing.....ice cream sandwiches?????
rum raisin ice cream between oatmeal cookies, pumpkin ice cream between ginger snaps, chocolate cherry between chocolate wafers......
presentation.....???? oh caterers, got any ideas?

spiders. nope all that's coming to mind is a black olive with tooth picks for legs....really gooby.

[ChefTorrie]

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

um....probably the same nationally known "recipe" I've used. rotten eyes?

Candy corn....orange, lemon, vanilla conical something.....hmmmmm
maybe little chevre cheese cake layers...hmmmm....or .....

oh yeah I do have a cotton candy maker....spider webs?????Larry Forgione was making apple cotton candy for some event last year, I've no clue what he used for flavor.....

dry ice is fun, really fun....it's the smoke thing.....ice cream sandwiches?????
rum raisin ice cream between oatmeal cookies, pumpkin ice cream between ginger snaps, chocolate cherry between chocolate wafers......
presentation.....???? oh caterers, got any ideas?

spiders. nope all that's coming to mind is a black olive with tooth picks for legs....really gooby.

Haha, noooo lol. It is my own recipe that I came up with about 11 years ago. Its the best!

[shroomgirl]

I'd love your recipe, thank you.

[ChefTorrie]

Consider yourself lucky shroomgirl!
I have won two awards for these puffs...

1 1/2 Cups Water
1/2 cup NO PULP Orange Juice
1 Cup Butter
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Cups Pastry Flour
8 Large Eggs

Pre-heat oven to 400.......In a medium/large saucepan combine Liquid, butter, and salt....Bring to a boil, then remove from from heat.... preferably with a wooden spoon, beat in all flour at once.... return to low heat....continue beating untill the mixture forms shape, like a ball, and pull from side of the pan.....remove again from heat.....beat in eggs one at a time, beating hard after every addition untill smooth...continue beating untill the dough is like satin and breaks in strands....if you want large puffs, drop heaping TB onto an ungreased baking sheet, spread them about 2 inches apart...for little puffs, the dough should be about the size of a large walnut.....bake until golden brown, about 40-45 for large, and 25-30 for the little guys...when the puffs are done, when u tap them, they should sound hollow.... you can either cut the tops off and fill, or do what I do, and use a pastry bag with a semi-small tip...

Nowwww for the cream filling...
3 2/3 cups of milk
1/3 cup of Grand Marnier
1cup or a little more, of sugar
pinch of salt
4 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup flour
12 large egg yolks....yolks only...
1 tsp cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg, not much tho...


In a separate saucepan, bring the milk and grande marnier to a boil with half of the sugar....whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl, with the salt, and other half of the sugar.... sift flour over egg mixture, and whisk untill smooth.... When the milk boils, SLOWLY whisk 1/3 of it to the egg mixture.... after it is incorporated, ad the egg mixture back into the the saucepan with the rest of the milk.... Follow these steps carefully to make sure that you tempur the eggs, you dont want to end up with scrambled eggs, that would not be good, especially if you are in a pinch...return to medium heat, and bring to boil again, gradually, whisking continually.... the mixture should begin to thicken....allow it to boil for another minute....remove from the heat... and the vanilla and cinnamon... transfer the pastry cream to a bowl... press plastic wrap against the surface of the cream.... refrigerate until VERY cold, at LEAST 2 hours...


This is my own person recipe and means alot to me. I serve it 2 weekends a month at my restaurant, so I really hope you enjoy it!

[thetincook]

Niiiiiiice. Those sound very tasty! I thought I was special because I used brown butter to make mine.

You use flour in your creme pastisierre? That is truly old school.


Ever use a puree to flavor the pate a choux? I was thinking of adding some pumpkin puree to the batter for some of our holiday dessert platter items.

[shroomgirl]

nope never flavored the pate choux....
though coffee eclairs are my favorite....don't make um cus I eat um.

* Le Notre's pastry cookbook from the 70's and the pastry cream has option of flour or cornstarch.

Thank You Torrie! Grand Marnier and Chambord are found on our "don't run out list".


came up with caramel apples, maybe the babies...cute but alot of detrus, cored regular size slices on a stick only have the stick
Thoughts?

Popcorn balls....still thinkin'.....white chocolate popcorn or mini old timey balls.....

So tincook which tip makes the pumpkin pate choux?

[shroomgirl]

how to mold bite size panna cotta candy corn.....

When cheftalkers were at Craft in NYC the pastry chef sent out "movie snacky treats".....caramel corn with choco. nibs, funky gellees..memory is fading...but that may be fun. Take traditional old timey halloween candies and upgrade with a twist for the desserts.

[kuan]

Whole beef head bbq style, have them pull the meat off themselves.

j/k.

[shroomgirl]

got a 1/2 pig coming in....that head is free.....
womens Kuan, womens in really nice dresses with big hunking rings on their fingers.
Just got a gross visualiztion of hands with rings in fat.

[thetincook]

So tincook which tip makes the pumpkin pate choux?

A star tip like you would use for a swan. Only you pipe like you would a cream puff. If you've got time make little stems with a small round tip. The effect is subtle so I tend to make the batter a little on the stiff side. I don't put faces on them. I haven't made pumpkin flavored dough yet (unless you count pie spices). I just use the puree in the pastry cream filling (I make it with part evaporated milk and I always use cornstartch )


Now I'm thinking about a caramel apple bar...
There is a caramal apple cart making the rounds of the street faires here that will make it in a cup with apple pieces instead of a whole apple.

Maybe do it with 1/8's or 1/4's of apple on a stick (I've bet you've got some awesome sources for heirlomes) A bain of caramel, maybe one of fudge/ganach, one of cinnamon candy dip. Lots of toppings: nuts, mini marshmellow, choc chips, candy corn, grahm crackers, cookie crumbs....
I don't know if it will work with your service.

According to wiki, candy corn is made from fondent, marshmellow, and sugar syrup! Amazing... Not sure how panna cotta would hold up at candy corn size.

Little popcorn balls could be awesome. You could make truffles look like spiders really easy.

I'm down with pectin jellies. They're even better if you add some chopped toasted nuts to them. Nut brittles are the next logical progression.

There are some traditional Mexican, Spanish, or Italian cookies that are shaped like bones or skulls (ossi? I can't remember) Marzipan skulls are popular round here for Dia de Los Muertos (All Saints Day).

[thetincook]

Some home made candy corn stuffs:

home made candy corn recipe

Bon Appietits candy corn recipe with pics

A how-its-made link