Making sugar masks as is common practice in Mexico for Day of the Dead will be too much for many of us so we will settle for Yummy Bones (40% milk chocolate and 70% dark chocolate) as the centerpiece of our Halloween treats.
Kids might take another route and vote for the friendly looking vampire (above).
Both are late Halloween sweets I found via Hotel Chocolat in the UK
Adding spice to Halloween
Jack O' Lantern and his Pin Up.
From Pin Up et Cuisiniere on French Blog 'Saveur Passion'
With Halloween 2010 upon us, I think a Recap of My Halloween Stories for this Vintage is in order.
In Derry (or Londonderry) you can catch the Banks of the Foyle Halloween Carnival.
Also in the UK, Scary Monsters and Supercakes, Eat Your Heart Out, London, October 28-31 highlights first 18 and over Pop Up cake shop.
London Chocolatier William Curley sticks to family friendly fare as I note in Ghoulies and Chocolate Pumpkin, Will I be Tricked Into Buying One this Halloween...
I fly over to Japan for my next stop with Ghost Stories, Dancing Goblin, Tengumai where Halloween And Sake meet.
Feel like a Punky Art Party, 33 Idols Party, Halloween in Tokyo with Dead Kennedys Flavor, Superdeluxe, October 31 it's not too late to join them...
Heard these stories about poets gone mad, B Monster and Black Fairy Come Alive on Halloween 2010, A Taste for Absinthe, cocktails for the grown ups.
Want to make your own goodies, Bake Then Bite These Monster Eyeballs From House of Ghoulish Goodies is there for you.
I round up my goodie bag with 3 Halloween Stories from 2009.
One for wine buffs 2007 Calaveras County River of Skulls, More Bones for Halloween and Wine 09, bleeding grapes.
Tunes in tune with the holiday, Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus, Songs for Halloween will do.
Back by popular demand is Spooky like Cupcakes for Halloween from London to Washington DC a hit these past few days.
Happy Halloween 2010!
(* illustration by way of Evilcakes )
Dig a Punky Art Party for Halloween
If you are in Tokyo on October 31, head to Superdeluxe for an Halloween/ 33 Idols Opening bash.
Here's a few words on 33 Idols Exhibit:
"SuperDeluxe and ERECT Magazine are pleased to present "33 IDOLS" a solo exhibition by montage artist Winston Smith, who has created some of Punk Rock’s most lasting and iconic symbols. This is Smith’s first solo show in Japan and will feature new work commemorating the 33rd anniversary of his seminal "Cross of Dollars" (1977) that was used for the Dead Kennedys 1981 album "In God We Trust, Inc." which was then banned in England and condemned by the American Religious Right.
"33 IDOLS" will also feature a selection of retrospective works from Smith's 30 year career."
Winston Smith "33 IDOLS" Gallery hours for 10/31 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM (free entry)
As for Halloween Fun:
LIVE: Hair Stylistics, yudayajazz + CARRE and Special Guest KTL!!
DJ: KUKNACKE, Keiji Ito
Special perks for folks dressing up for Halloween!! Don't be afraid.. (the clown's afraid too)
Party starts at 7 PM and ends Late
Price per person is 1000 Yen (if i got my facts right)
Can't make it to Tokyo, they shared "Halloween" lyrics by Dead Kennedys and ringtone for the song.
Got wind of this thanks to brains behind PechaKucha...
Why should kids have all the fun on October 31st?
After a review copy of A Taste for Absinthe (Clarkson Potter) landed on my desk a few days back, I thought right away, here's a natural fit for story in runup to Halloween 2010.
Scare factor was not the reason even though you might remember Absinthe was banned in the early 20th century after this poets favorites was branded as a method to madness by French authorities.
Cocktail names such as B Monster (page 102), Last Second (page 85), Thyme and Punishment (page 159) made is a must share.
I serve you a taste of the book with 2 of its recipes.
First, Death by Dusk (pictured above):
This is a version of the cocktail Death in the Afternoon (absinthe and champagne), which was created for a 1935 book of humorous cocktail riffs called So Red the Nose, or Breath in the Afternoon. While Death in the Afternoon is a great name, San Francisco-based Neyah White, from Nopa, admits it is a little lacking as far as drinks go. The addition of crème de violette has a rounding effect and gives the drink some subtlety.
½ ounce crème de violette
5 ounces sparkling wine
¼ ounce absinthe
1 maraschino cherry, for garnish
Pour the crème de violette and wine into a flute. Float the absinthe on top, and garnish with a maraschino cherry. Serve.
Second, Black Fairy (pictured below):
The creator of this cocktail—Erika Fey of Cyrus in Healdsburg, California—frequently draws inspiration from the bounty of spectacular seasonal ingredients available from local Sonoma County farms to create unique cocktails with playful and surprising flavor combinations.
4 fresh blackberries
Fresh mint sprigs
¾ ounce Kubler absinthe
¾ ounce Michter’s rye whiskey
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
¾ ounce Fever Tree tonic water
In a cocktail shaker, muddle 3 of the blackberries with a mint sprig. Add the absinthe, rye whiskey, lemon juice, and tonic water. Fill the shaker with ice, and shake well. Strain the drink over an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with the remaining blackberry and a sprig of mint, and serve.
In one clean swoop, A Taste for Absinthe brings back to life classics and adds contemporary ones to the mix, 65 recipes all in all.
It was masterminded by R.Winston Guthrie, founder of Absinthe Buyers Guide and James F.Thompson with illuminating photos courtesy of Liza Gershman.
Twist, shake, stir?
No evil doers.
Will I be tricked into buying one of William Curley's Chocolate Pumpkins filled with Ghoulies for Halloween?
Only if the travel fairy drops a round trip ticket to London in my mailbox before October 31st.
This seasonal fare is available in William's Richmond and Belgravia stores.
If your kids like to get their hands dirty in the kitchen and you are in London on Saturday, October 30th, sign them up for the Halloween Masterclass at Curley's Belgravia shop.
At this time of the year, if someone gives me a great Halloween flavored story ready to serve, how could I resist sharing it?
When Halloween and Sake meet:
"Tradition is one thing, but Superstition and Folklore too have their special places ingrained in Japanese culture. What I am speaking of specifically are Ghosts and Goblins. Fitting for October don't you think? Ghosts are called "Obake" or "Yuurei", and Goblins are called "Tengu". Obake and Yuurei are usually spirits of the dead, while the the latter is mostly associated with a winged mountain goblin who is identified by a red face, a long nose, and extra long "Geta"sandles. Much like how we Americans have marketed Beers, Cars and even Eggs with "Devil"or "Diablo", the Japanese too have a sense of humor and market products with such authority.
"TENGUMAI" was born in 1823 inside the walls of Shata Brewery located in Ishikawa Prefecture. "Tengumai"literally means "Dancing Goblin." The name stems from folklore, where the winds in the deep forests surrounding the "Kura" sounded like goblins howling around the brewery after dusk, drinking copious amounts of sake and having a good time."
Excerpted from Tengumai; Trick or Treat Edition, written by George Kao, NY Mutal Trading Sake educator for their newsletter.
(*illustration also from George Kao's piece)
From fairies to witches, children to hunchbacks, everyone will show up in Derry for the Banks of the Foyle Halloween Carnival 2010 from October 28 to October 31.
It is branded as the largest Halloween celebration in Europe, 4 wicked days.
For this 2010 edition, the Derry council served an online brochure with all the tricks and turns one can expect.
Bored with the usual suspects, this Halloween 2010, bake your own bag of tricks, then take a bite out of these Monster Eyeballs straight from Ghoulish Goodies (Storey, Workman Publishing, 2009)
Recipe:
1½ cups creamy peanut butter
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 (1-pound) package confectioners’ sugar (about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1 (3-ounce) package miniature M&Ms
1. Blend the peanut butter with the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. It may be easiest to use your hands (kids love doing this).
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper. Roll the peanut butter mixture by teaspoons into small balls and place on the baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up the eyeballs.
3. Put the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl and melt the chocolate in the microwave: Heat on high for 60 seconds, and then stir well. If it’s not quite smooth, heat in two or three 10-second bursts, stirring well after each burst. (Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate, stirring frequently, in a double boiler, over just-simmering water.
Avoid overheating, which can cause chocolate to seize up into a stiff mass.)
4. Take the sheet of balls from the refrigerator; use a fork or a toothpick to dip each one most of the way into the chocolate, leaving a round or oval opening of undipped peanut butter on top. (This opening in the chocolate will be the cornea.) Hold each ball over the chocolate to catch the drips, and then return to the wax paper, cornea side up.
5. Place an M&M in the center of the peanut butter cornea to make an iris. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Store the eyeballs in the refrigerator or freezer and serve chilled.
Excerpted from Ghoulish Goodies by Sharon Bowers © 2009
Photographs © Kevin Kennefick, Illustrations © Michael Slack, Food Styling by Norma Miller.
Used with permission from Storey Publishing
(* Check the Workman Blog for more Halloween Tips and Tricks)
Scary monsters and supercakes
From evil doers to evil cakes (no Delaware witchcraft), we are warned of the arrival of Eat Your Heart Out & The PRETOX Potion on the London Art Cake scene.
Over the Halloween 2010 Week-End, "the World’s first 18+ cake shop, pushing the concept that cake can never be offensive to the extreme" brought to us by agents provocateurs "The Mad Artists Tea Party & PRETOX Drink Alibi" will do everything in their power to make us loose our appetite.
I am not surprised to find Bompas and Parr as part of the mix and cannot help but wonder if Lili Vanilli's Pumping Heart (above) will be offered.
More amusing than scary end up being more amusing than scary.
On the other hand, a spontaneous reaction to Anatomical Chocolate Heart (below) was 'it's disgusting'.
666 terrifying Halloween creations, cakes, potions and entertainment will be served daily from October 28th to October 31st, 2010, in the ‘dungeon’ of Maiden, 188 Shoreditch High Street, London.
It's not every year that Halloween falls on a Sunday allowing you to combine mass in the morning with more (gently) Pagan mores in the evening.
Am I rushing things talking about things happening more than a month from now?
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