Spooky ideas for Halloween entertaining

MILWAUKEE - Chef Alisa Malavenda shows us how to take our party to a ghoulishly great level!

Devilishly Delicious Martini 
2 red jalapeno peppers or mini red sweets if you don’t like spicy 
2 oz tequila
1 oz mango puree
½ oz fresh squeezed lime juice
½ oz agave nectar

Cut 1 slice of pepper of the stem end of the pepper and add to a cocktail shaker full of ice 
make a slit in the 2 peppers and set aside. 
Add the tequila, mango puree, lime juice and agave nectar to the shaker and shake well. Rim the martini glass with sugar and add the "horns "pour cocktail from shaker and serve.  
Place all ingredients into a shaker over ice, shake, and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with mint leaves and top off the drink with ground cinnamon, set cinnamon on fire if desired.

The Hocus Pocus
2 oz of your favorite gin (I used Purple Empress Gin for extra color)
1 oz Creme de Violette or plum liquer
1 oz Dry Vermouth
½ oz lemon juice
Splash of Club soda

Garnish: orange, black, or purple sanding sugar for the rim , edible glitter or melted marshmallow for spider webbing. You could even add some dry ice . 
Shake everything except club soda in a shaker and strain into decorated glass . add a splash of soda if you like.

Beetle "Juice"
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 oz midori 
1 oz vodka, or gin
Add the rest of the liquid ingredients and shake. Double strain with a fine mesh strainer into a glass with ice eye balls made with blueberries. 
Garnish with a cucumber ribbon with cucucamelons.

Witches Brew Berry Margarita
Muddle fresh blackberries in a cocktail shaker or jar.
Add a scoop of blackberry jam.
Add in tequila, Chambord, and lime juice.

Fill shaker with ice and shake until well chilled
Serve in a rimmed glass with fresh ice.
Garnish with more blackberries and rosemary.

Rattlin Ribs
Rib rub - makes a lot of rub , but keeps a long time 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup kosher salt 
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 racks baby back ribs
1 tsp  liquid smoke
Favorite barbecue sauce- homemade or sweet baby ray or whatever you heart desires

•In small bowl, combine sugars, chili powder, cumin, dry mustard, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cloves. Massage a handful of the dry rub all over each rack of ribs. Place both racks in a 2-gallon or larger resealable bag and add liquid smoke. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight, flipping bag over occasionally to distribute all over meat.
•When ready to bake, preheat oven to 300 degrees.
•Line baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and place ribs and all the juice in the pan. Place another piece of foil on top and crimp edges to create a tight seal to keep all heat and steam in packet. Bake in preheated oven 75 min or so until tender. 
•Drain off fat and brush ribs with favorite barbecue sauce. Brown under broiler or on grill until ribs are "pretty as a picture "

Halloween Caprese Salad
8 oz  ciliegine ( small mozzarella balls)
1 pint multicolored cherry tomatoes halved 
2 T balsamic vinegar 
2 T olive oil  
1/4 C basil leaves, torn
Season with salt

To make the mozzarella skulls. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and set the silicon molds onto a rimmed baking sheet for stability. Lightly grease the interiors of the skull molds. Add a ball of mozzarella to each skull cavity. 
Bake for 6-8 minutes to soften the cheese – it will not melt but will become pliable. 
Use a  paper or cloth napkin to press the softened cheese into the molds to release the extra liquid and get a good form . 
Transfer the molds to the refrigerator and let chill for 8-10 minutes, then remove from the mold and repeat with remaining cheese until all the mozzarella is formed into skulls.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and then toss the tomatoes and mozzarella skulls, with the balsamic and olive oil. Scatter basil leaves over top and sprinkle with salt before serving.

Delia Deetz Showstopper Shrimp Cocktail (makes 4)
Grilled and Chilled Blackened Shrimp
20 large shrimp 
2 T Blackening Spice

Black Garlic Aioli
1 C good mayonnaise
1 lemon, Juiced
½ T Dijon Mustard
¼ t Salt 
4 Cloves Black Garlic
Preheat grill to medium. Peel shrimp from the shell, leaving the tails intact.
Place a skewer through each shrimp to keep them long and straight except for 4 that you will want for the thumb and season with blacking season . Cook shrimp on the grill for about 2 minutes on a side.
For the aioli, mix all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. 
To Serve: pour aioli in a bowl, remove the skewers from the shrimp and add 5 shrimp to each bowl resembling a hand.

Scared ‘Sheetless’ Sheetpan "Bat" Wings
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger 
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon aniseed
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
½ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup soy sauce
½ cup honey
30 chicken wings; do not trim or tuck wings

In small bowl, mix oil, ginger, garlic powder, pepper, aniseed, parsley, brown sugar, soy sauce and honey. Reserve ½ cup of marinade for basting during baking. Place wings in non-reactive bowl or 1-gallon resealable bags. Add remaining marinade and give them a good toss. Marinate overnight in refrigerator, tossing occasionally to cover wings with marinade.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place wings on foil-covered jellyroll pan in single layer. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes to brown. Remove and baste wings with reserved marinade. Reduce oven to 350 degrees.
Bake 45 minutes longer. Wings should be cooked through, brown and nicely caramelized.

Fun Ideas for a Halloween Dessert Board
Halloween Poison Apples (Skulls)
12 small apples preferably organic - see above - washed well and dried even better
12 wooden candy apple sticks or dowels
1 ½ c. sugar
½ c. light corn syrup
1 tsp. black gel paste food coloring

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Place a candy thermometer in a medium saucepan and add sugar, ¾ cups water, and corn syrup. Place over medium heat; whisk until sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking WITHOUT STIRRING (I mean it, you will wreck it if you try to stir it - and you will badly want to stir it, just don't) until it reaches the hard-crack of 310 degrees F. Remove from stovetop and take out the thermometer carefully. Add the food coloring and swirl around in the pan to fully mix in the color. Dip, swipe and twirl the apples through the candy toffee, pull up and let the excess drip off (you can lightly shake it off), and place on greased baking sheet.Cool before serving.
If using skull mold , place skull silicone mold on baking sheet – pour a little of the candy in the mold – then proceed with the apple and press into the mold 
You can also just coat the apple and not put on the mold. 
OR You can also use dark chocolate and caramel and use steps for the pears if you prefer instead of hard candy

Caramel Chocolate Dipped Pears 
5-6 medium room-temperature pears (or apples), washed and well dried  (preferably with a stem, this will give you a "handle" for holding the fruit)
1 – 14 oz package of caramels, removed from wrappers
2 T. water
8 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped
4 oz finely chopped nuts (about 1 cup)

Line a baking tray with wax paper, grease the wax paper and set aside.
Place caramels and water in medium saucepan and heat over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted and smooth. Dip pears into caramel about ¾ of the way up the pear. Scrape excess caramel from bottom of pear and place on prepared baking tray. Repeat with remaining pears, using a spoon if necessary to coat the pears. Place tray in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Place chopped nuts in a mound onto flat surface, such as a cutting board or baking sheet. Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. Dip bottom half of pears into melted chocolate. Scrape excess chocolate from bottom of pears. Place bottom of pears into center of mound of nuts, gently push nuts up about 1/3 of pear. Place pear on tray and repeat with remaining pears.
Refrigerate until serving, at least 1 hour.

More fun ideas to fill up your board 
Caldron Cupcakes, Spooky Oreos, Halloween Peep S’mores