How To Make Food "Scary" for Halloween?

[wintersummer]

I'm going to a halloween type pot luck get together and am making two things. I'd like to give them a halloween or scary type look (of course, not too scary, not so much that no one will eat them). Here's what I'm making:

Pancetta, leek, and goat cheese tartlets - Bon Appetit Dec 2003 (recipe said to make in mini muffin tins, I'm making in regular muffin tins)
Fiery Skewered Shrimp - Bon Appetit October 2005 (about 5 medium shrimp per skewer, only shrimp, no other food items).

Does anyone have creative thoughts about how to present these two dishes to fit in with "halloween" theme?

[trish_ks]

here are a couple thoughts...

- You could make some extra crust for your tartlets, then top them with something like this:
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe1894

- I'm not Sure what color the filling in your tarlets is going to end up being, but you could pipe spider webs on top in a contrasting color topping (sour cream, pesto, olive tapanade...) If you want to, add one of those little plastic spiders...just make sure nobody bites into one!

- This would be a lot of work, but you could cut little vampire capes out of Nori (Sushi seaweed) and attach them to your shrimp

- You could wrap your cooked shrimp in rice noodles and make them look like little mummies

[jabelt]

A suggestion for the shrimp skewers...

buy the plastic spider rings and break off the ring part, then push the spider top onto the end of the skewers

[wintersummer]

Trish - great ideas! Can I pick your creative mind?

I've already made the tarts so it will have to be an on-the-top decoration. I've seen something is the past done to create a spider, using an olive and another edible item for spider legs. What could I use for black legs? The tarts are about 1.5 - 2 inches wide.

[wintersummer]

Jabelt - what is a spider ring? Is it like a ring for the finger? (is this a trend I'm missing out on?) Where do I get them?

I love the idea!

[trish_ks]

Liquorice would be nasty...even if it were a dessert...UGH!

Do you want the legs to stay go over the sides of the tarts or just within the surface area?

Did you use an olive for the body?

[jabelt]

Jabelt - what is a spider ring? Is it like a ring for the finger? (is this a trend I'm missing out on?) Where do I get them?

I love the idea!


They are cheap, plastic rings that they sell to kids. I'm sure they could be found at a party supply store or maybe even the grocery store this time of year.

In regards to making spider legs, how about this - made completely out of black olives:
http://www.nscphoenix.com/BOWEggs1004.jpeg

[wintersummer]

There's an earlier post about halloween appetizers and I found a photo of deviled eggs with olive half on top. Looks like the sliced other half of olive very thin to make "legs". On a deviled egg it looks great. I attempted to copy picture in this post but it didn't work.

[wintersummer]

Thanks for posting that in....this will help.

[trish_ks]

I was trying to find that picture myself! I had seen it in another post.

My other thought was to cut lengths of rosemary, strip the leaves, and bend the stalk. Poke the stalk into the side of the olive so the the "leg" kind of forms a "v" shape, bending at the knee.

It would be a bit annoying though, they wouldn't want to eat it (unless they REALLY need the fiber ;) )