Finished making your jack-o-lantern? Good, then it's time to start working out what to serve to your guests on All Hallows Eve.
How about a ghoulish dark black squid ink risotto, served up with a lobster claw? Or a deeply wicked chocolate dessert?
We'll let you decide whether these three recipes from top chefs Robert Thompson, Andrew-MacKenzie and Mark Dodson (from Great British Chefs) are enough to make your gothic dinner party suitably devilish.
Warning: this slideshow could provoke hunger...
Cook Up A Halloween Feast
Robert Thompson’s Pumpkin Soup(01 of03)
500g pumpkin
1 bunch thyme, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
75g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
500ml chicken stock
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Crusty bread
Serves 4
1. Chop the pumpkin into small pieces and place in a foil parcel with the thyme and butter. Bake at 190˚C/ Gas mark 5 for an hour or until the pumpkin is soft. Open and allow to cool slightly, then take out the thyme.
2. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and sweat the onions until soft. Add the baked pumpkin pieces and chicken stock and bring to the boil.
3. Remove from the heat and blend until completely smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and adjust the seasoning to taste.
4. Serve the hot soup with some crusty bread
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their website for more seasonal soup recipes.
1 bunch thyme, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
75g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
500ml chicken stock
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Crusty bread
Serves 4
1. Chop the pumpkin into small pieces and place in a foil parcel with the thyme and butter. Bake at 190˚C/ Gas mark 5 for an hour or until the pumpkin is soft. Open and allow to cool slightly, then take out the thyme.
2. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and sweat the onions until soft. Add the baked pumpkin pieces and chicken stock and bring to the boil.
3. Remove from the heat and blend until completely smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and adjust the seasoning to taste.
4. Serve the hot soup with some crusty bread
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their website for more seasonal soup recipes.
Andrew MacKenzie’s Squid Ink Risotto(02 of03)
200g Arborio risotto rice
1 large shallot, diced
1 garlic clove
200ml white wine
20g squid ink sachet
500ml fish stock
4 lobster claws, cooked
200g butter
1 lemon, zested
1 anchovy, chopped
6 coriander seeds
Olive oil
1 knob of butter
Serves 4
1. Start by heating a little oil in a wide bottomed pan and sweat the shallots until soft.
2. Add the Arborio rice and fry for a few seconds.
3. Pour all of the white wine into the pan and cook until it has been absorbed into the rice.
4. Add the squid ink into the pan. After a minute start to ladle in the fish stock, waiting until each ladle of stock is absorbed before adding the next. Do this until all of the fish stock has been added, which should take around 25 minutes.
5. Stir the contents of the pan continuously, cooking on a medium heat. Taste the rice now and again to check it is still firm to the bite. When the risotto is nearly cooked, but still has a soft, fluid consistency add the knob of butter and stir.
6. While the risotto is cooking, mix together the butter, lemon zest, anchovy and coriander seeds in a bowl.
7. Pour the contents of the bowl into a pan on a medium heat and warm the lobster claws in the mix.
8. Serve the risotto on four plates, with a lobster claw arranged on top of each pile of rice.
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs, visit their website for more risotto recipes.
1 large shallot, diced
1 garlic clove
200ml white wine
20g squid ink sachet
500ml fish stock
4 lobster claws, cooked
200g butter
1 lemon, zested
1 anchovy, chopped
6 coriander seeds
Olive oil
1 knob of butter
Serves 4
1. Start by heating a little oil in a wide bottomed pan and sweat the shallots until soft.
2. Add the Arborio rice and fry for a few seconds.
3. Pour all of the white wine into the pan and cook until it has been absorbed into the rice.
4. Add the squid ink into the pan. After a minute start to ladle in the fish stock, waiting until each ladle of stock is absorbed before adding the next. Do this until all of the fish stock has been added, which should take around 25 minutes.
5. Stir the contents of the pan continuously, cooking on a medium heat. Taste the rice now and again to check it is still firm to the bite. When the risotto is nearly cooked, but still has a soft, fluid consistency add the knob of butter and stir.
6. While the risotto is cooking, mix together the butter, lemon zest, anchovy and coriander seeds in a bowl.
7. Pour the contents of the bowl into a pan on a medium heat and warm the lobster claws in the mix.
8. Serve the risotto on four plates, with a lobster claw arranged on top of each pile of rice.
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs, visit their website for more risotto recipes.
Mark Dodson’s Chocolate Fondant With Peanut Butter Ice Cream(03 of03)
Chocolate fondant
250g dark chocolate
250g unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
50g flour, sieved
5 eggs
5 egg yolks
Cocoa powder for dusting
Butter for greasing
1 handful peanuts, chopped
Peanut butter and white chocolate ganache
75ml full-fat milk
60g peanut butter, smooth
100g white chocolate chips
Dark chocolate sauce400ml double cream100g caster sugar300g dark chocolate, melted
Peanut butter ice cream175g caster sugar7 egg yolks500ml full-fat milk500ml cream2 vanilla pods50g peanut butter, smooth20ml glucose
Serves 6Cooking time: 2 hrs 30 mins
1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl). Whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar and combine with the melted chocolate/butter mixture.
Finally, gently fold in the flour until just combined and set aside.
2. Combine the milk and peanut butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and the mixture pour over the chocolate buttons, mixing with a whisk until combined. Set aside in the fridge.
3. While the ganache is cooling, line six dariole moulds or large ramekins; firstly with a generous amount of butter and then cocoa powder
4. Pour the chocolate fondant mixture one third of the way up the mould, then place a small dollop of the ganache into the middle of the mix. Fill the remainder of the mould with the fondant mixture up to three quarters full. Place in the fridge while you get the rest of the dish ready.
5. For the chocolate sauce, melt the dark chocolate again in a glass bowl over simmering water. Combine the double cream and sugar and bring to the boil. As soon as the mixture is boiling remove from the heat and pour onto the melted dark chocolate, whisking thoroughly to combine.
6. For the peanut butter ice cream, place the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then immediately remove from the heat. While the mixture is heating thoroughly whisk the yolks and sugar until pale and smooth in a large bowl. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the yolks to combine and then return the mixture to the saucepan.
7. Place on a low to medium heat and stir constantly until it reaches 80˚C. While still warm, whisk in the glucose and peanut butter then strain. Leave to chill before churning in the ice cream maker until you reach the desired consistency.
8. While the ice cream is churning, heat the oven to 200˚C/gas mark 6. Remove the fondants from the fridge and cook for 8-11 minutes, making sure that the edges have just started to come away from the sides of the mould before turning out.9. Turn the fondants out into a shallow bowl, top with a generous scoop of ice cream, chocolate sauce and chopped peanuts.Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs, visit their website for more chocolate recipes.
250g dark chocolate
250g unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
50g flour, sieved
5 eggs
5 egg yolks
Cocoa powder for dusting
Butter for greasing
1 handful peanuts, chopped
Peanut butter and white chocolate ganache
75ml full-fat milk
60g peanut butter, smooth
100g white chocolate chips
Dark chocolate sauce400ml double cream100g caster sugar300g dark chocolate, melted
Peanut butter ice cream175g caster sugar7 egg yolks500ml full-fat milk500ml cream2 vanilla pods50g peanut butter, smooth20ml glucose
Serves 6Cooking time: 2 hrs 30 mins
1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl). Whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar and combine with the melted chocolate/butter mixture.
Finally, gently fold in the flour until just combined and set aside.
2. Combine the milk and peanut butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and the mixture pour over the chocolate buttons, mixing with a whisk until combined. Set aside in the fridge.
3. While the ganache is cooling, line six dariole moulds or large ramekins; firstly with a generous amount of butter and then cocoa powder
4. Pour the chocolate fondant mixture one third of the way up the mould, then place a small dollop of the ganache into the middle of the mix. Fill the remainder of the mould with the fondant mixture up to three quarters full. Place in the fridge while you get the rest of the dish ready.
5. For the chocolate sauce, melt the dark chocolate again in a glass bowl over simmering water. Combine the double cream and sugar and bring to the boil. As soon as the mixture is boiling remove from the heat and pour onto the melted dark chocolate, whisking thoroughly to combine.
6. For the peanut butter ice cream, place the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then immediately remove from the heat. While the mixture is heating thoroughly whisk the yolks and sugar until pale and smooth in a large bowl. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the yolks to combine and then return the mixture to the saucepan.
7. Place on a low to medium heat and stir constantly until it reaches 80˚C. While still warm, whisk in the glucose and peanut butter then strain. Leave to chill before churning in the ice cream maker until you reach the desired consistency.
8. While the ice cream is churning, heat the oven to 200˚C/gas mark 6. Remove the fondants from the fridge and cook for 8-11 minutes, making sure that the edges have just started to come away from the sides of the mould before turning out.9. Turn the fondants out into a shallow bowl, top with a generous scoop of ice cream, chocolate sauce and chopped peanuts.Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs, visit their website for more chocolate recipes.