I don't usually do much for Hallowe'en. Early in my time as a homeowner, I would hopefully buy candy to dole out to adorable little ghosties and goblins, but I don't live in a high traffic area for kids - one banner year my doorbell rang 5 whole times! The last couple of years, nothing.
This year, however, my Hallowe'en has been more festive. At work, we were encouraged to decorate our areas, and at lunch today, there was a costume contest. My colleagues and I take such events as as a challenge. It is not only a time to have a little fun, but a time to demonstrate our creativity and imagination to the other teams we work with. So we went all out, turning our area into a tent city and offering spooky Hallowe'en services such as palm and aura reading for very reasonable prices - for example, an eyeball, or all your hopes and dreams. After learning about the future, we offered candidates a restorative potion, to strengthen their resolve against whatever calamities that were about to befall them (and to help them grow back whatever body part they sacrificed for the reading in the first place).
This particular potion involved 3 parts cranberry juice, 1.5 parts each of grape juice and apple juice, and 2 parts cola, plus some frozen strawberries. The frozen berries are a handy trick to help cool without dilution. I recommend keeping most of the liquids fairly dark so that the "potion" has a foreboding look. For a better visual, we also got dry ice. Place the punch bowl in a larger bowl and place warm water in the outer bowl. Then add dry ice for smoking and steaming, changing water as it gets cold from the ice. In theory, dry ice could be added directly to the potion for a more dramatic visual, but the risk of harm from accidentally ingesting a dry ice cube wasn't something we wanted to risk. At -79 c, frostbite occurs in seconds, and it can bite all the way down to the stomach.
And what goes well with a potion? Why a spooky cookie, of course!
My manager, M, made the meringue ghostie and the shortbread severed ladyfinger. The fingernail is an almond, with cake decorating gel for visual effect, both were very tasty and appreciated by our colleagues. The chocolate mouse is courtesy of D, and she kindly shared the recipe:
4 oz of semisweet bakes chocolate (4 squares), melted
1/3 c sour cream
1 c chocolate cookie crumbs
almond slices for ears
cake decorating balls for eyes
shoestring licorice for the tail
The chocolate can be melted either in the microwave, in 20 second intervals, stirring between, or in a double boiler. Microwave is faster, but you sacrifice some control - greater possibility of scorching and having to start again. Once melted, mix in the sour cream, and then add the breadcrumbs, and place in the fridge to cool. Once cool and fairly firm, roll into two different sizes of balls to shape the head and body and press together. There is a sweet spot for working with the chocolate mix - too warm and it is very sticky; too cold and it crumbles. You may have to adjust accordingly. To ease rolling into balls, D used additional breadcrumbs, which helped combat the stickiness, and gave the added benefit of creating a nice outer texture that made the mice seem more realistic. Add the decorations and voila! Cute, and tasty little mice that will more than satisfy an ardent chocolate lover.
I found the use the sour cream to be very interesting, and a great idea. It is basically a variation on a ganache (equal parts melted chocolate and heavy cream), giving an intense chocolate taste, a gorgeous texture, and a hint of tartness from the sour cream.
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