A Spooktacular Halloween

Halloween is a night of fright. A night of scares. A night of tricks and a night of treats. For my boyfriend and I, this year's Halloween was mostly a night of treats - a delicious night of treats.

Instead of donning absurd costumes and participating in juvenile pagan rituals of drunken absurdity (which I admittedly participated in last year and totally enjoyed), we decided to take it easy. I made us a little feast to enjoying during a horror movie fright fest in the comfort of our own home (free from the cold weather and puking 20-something in the Village). It was a little bit spicy, a little exotic, a little different, and totally awesome. The meal started with Curried Deviled Eggs with Spicy Pickled Radishes, which were "devilishly delicious," pun intended. They were followed by a soup and salad entree: Frisee and Apple Salad with Manchego and Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette paired with Kobacha Squash Soup, which was actually baked in the gourd. The soup was so simple and yet so addictive. My boyfriend, who usually refuses to eat leftovers, requested numerous times that we pretty please save the leftovers. Obviously, it was a winner. For dessert, we enjoyed Spiced Chocolate Pots de Creme served with Pumpkin Cream and Candied Ginger Tuiles. Dessert was an awesome combination of sweet and spicy, hitting all of your taste buds.

Deviled Eggs with Spicy Pickled Radishes: Yields 4 Servings (3 each)

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 t salt

1/4 t crushed red pepper flake

2 large radishes, thinly sliced (preferably on a madolin)

6 eggs

1 T Dijon mustard

1/4 cup aioli (or mayo if unavailable)

1 T curry powder

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. In a bowl, combine crushed red pepper and radishes. Pour vinegar mixture over the top. Let sit for 2-6 hours, or overnight if time permits.

2. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn off heat, cover and let sit for 12 minutes. Rinse with cold water and set aside until cool enough to handle.

3. Remove shell from eggs; slice eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and combine with Dijon, aioli and curry powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pipe yolk mixture back into egg whites and top with 1-2 slices of pickled radish.

Frisee and Apple Salad with Manchego and Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette: Yields 4 Servings

1 head Frisee lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 small tart crisp apple, juillened

1 small pomegranate, seeds removed (or 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds)

4 oz Manchego cheese, cubed

1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped

Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette:

2 T pomegranate molasses

1 T apple cider vinegar

1/2 t Dijon

2-3 T olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Combine Frisee, apple. pomegranate seeds, Manchego and pistachios. Whisk together molasses, cider vinegar and Dijon. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over salad before serving and toss to combine.

Kobacha Squash Soup: Yields 4 Servings

1 head garlic

3 cups almond milk (plus more if needed)

2 T chiffonaded sage

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

1 5lb Kobacha squash, lid removed (such as a pumpkin, on an angle as to not fall in)

1. Heat oven to 375. Slice top 1/4 off of garlic head. Wrap with foil and roast for 1 hour, or until tender and golden.

2. Bring milk to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in roasted garlic, sage, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper.

3. Place the squash in a large baking dish. Rub the inside of the squash with salt. Pour in milk, adding additional milk to mostly fill the squash. Place a piece of foil over the squash and top with squash top (this will keep it from falling in).

4. Roast in the oven for 2 hours. Stir occasionally to release the squash meat into the soup. Be careful not to scrape it too thin! Also, if the squash meat falls off the lid, don't fret. Just stir it into the soup.

This recipe is a little intimidating. Don't be scared though! A little liquid might leak out, but that's normal. The flavor will be outstanding and the presentation is sure to wow.

Spiced Chocolate Pots de Creme: Yields 4 Servings

2 cups almond milk

2 T agar flakes, ground

4 1/2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of sea salt

2/3 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 t vanilla

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t ground cinnamon

2 T kuzu

combined with 1/4 cup water

1. In a medium saucepan, combine almond milk and agar over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook with lid ajar until agar is fully dissolved. Stir frequently and scape sides and bottom of pan often.

2. Whisk in cocoa, salt, maple, vanilla, chili powder and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Add kuzu slurry and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and is clear. Remove from heat.

3. Pour into 4 ramekins. Refrigerate until firm.

Pumpkin Cream: Yields 4 Servings

4 oz cream cheese, softened

3 T brown sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 t ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin, spices and salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Candied Ginger Tuiles: Yields 4-6 Servings

Recipe can be made gluten-free or not. Note: gluten-free tuiles will be puffier.

2 1/2 T flour (all-purpose or gluten-free)

1 T arrowroot powder

1 T canola oil

2 T rice syrup

2 T maple syrup

1/2 t vanilla

pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup chopped candied ginger

1. Heat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In one bowl, whisk together flour and arrowroot. In another, whisk together oil, rice syrup, maple, vanilla and salt. Combine wet and dry and mix in candied ginger. Let batter sit for 15 minutes.

3. Drop teaspoons of the batter onto the prepared pan 2 inches apart. Thin with back of spoon into a circle. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are golden. Let cool 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan.

If making non gluten-free cookies, they can be formed into round shapes by placing on a rolling pin once removed from baking sheet. The gluten-free varieties are not thin or pliable enough to do this with.

Hope you enjoy these Halloween-inspired dishes. I know we sure did! Today I took a gluten-free bread class at my old culinary school. It was absolutely amazing!! I don't know that I have ever had gluten-free bread that was palatable, let alone tasty. But today, my eyes were opened to a whole new world of gluten-free baked goodness. I'll be experimenting over the next few months, so be sure to check back for those upcoming adventures. Also, I have a Moroccan-inspired menu planned for dinner tomorrow night. Wahoo! Simply can't wait to make and share with all of you :)