Preparation
Halloween is the time to serve up spooky, delicious treats, and we’re not the only ones with this belief. After all, Persephone ate only a few pomegranate seeds in the whole time Hades had her trapped on his side of the River Styx. If only he’d served treats as tempting as our underworld-inspired recipes. This macabre selection is not the food of myth; instead, it’s a stunning drink and appetizer pairing fit for the gods—and just what the most elegant of adult Halloween parties needs. No cheap tricks or silly treats here, just a dark and mysterious Mediterranean dip, squiggly, scary grissini, pierced “hearts” sure to seduce revelers, and a what-lies-beneath punch made with pomegranate juice, will tempt your guests to stay put.
Like a lush (if slightly eerie) still life painting, this most beautiful Garden-of-Evil Punch is as rich in taste as it is in looks. Deeply colored frozen fruits-kumquats, husk cherries, red grapes, and pomegranate seeds-float atop a brew of dry sake, plum wine, and pomegranate juice, a blood-red liquid well-suited to an All Hallow’s Eve celebration. The finishing touch is a garnish of hibiscus and begonia leaves.
Black tahini transforms baba ghanoush into bubbling tar. Luckily, it’s still as creamy of texture and smoky of taste as usual. The perfect partner for this delicious Dar-Night Dip is our unique and creepy Medusa’s Hair Grissini “snakes.” Never was a next-level snack so easy to make: Divide store-bought pizza dough in two, add a little squid ink to half, and roll and bake it into crisp but not straight grissini.
Notched dried figs stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, and skewered with decorative picks invite your guests to eat their hearts out. Our Telltale Hearts Recipe is a dramatic finger food riff on the classic devils on horseback but swaps out the traditional prunes and bacon for a different (we say better) dried fruit and pork pairing, and then gilds the lily with goat cheese. A no-cook appetizer fit for gods, demons, ghouls, and whatever other specters attend your Halloween bash.
