Bloody Wine Glasses and the Zombifier

This particular idea was created by my sister-in-law, Annie.  My wife went to one of Annie's big Twilight parties (blech...., to the movies, not to the parties, hers are great) and saw her awesome idea.  To add a little vampiric twinge, she wanted to have goblets that were dripping in blood.  But since she wasn't able to get the real stuff, she decided to use sugar and food coloring instead.  By dipping the rim in the red sugar mixture, it would drip down the sides as it cooled and look great.  Since it's sugar, the "blood" would automatically sweeten up the drinks.  And best of all, all you have do to to remove the leftover blood is to soak it in warm water.  It'll dissolve over a short period of time without a problem.

Here's how to do it, step by step...

Bloody Wine Goblets
Make 2 dozed coated glasses in about 15 minutes

Wine goblets, martini glasses, or any other type of glassware
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
Red food coloring
Candy or electronic thermometer

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water and begin the heat it up.  Add the food coloring when the mixture becomes translucent.  Stir in enough red food coloring until it is as dark as you'd like it. Continue to heat the mixture past the boiling point to 285 degrees (make sure you test it with the thermometer, don't guess or it will turn out wrong).  Don't let it go over 290 degrees or it won't drip as well as you'd wish.

Drop the heat to low.  While it's still at temperature, dip the rim of the glasses into the mixture.  Swirl it around so a good amount sticks to the rim.  Gently remove the glass from the sugar and slowly bring the glass back to its full upright and locked position.  Let them set for one hour.  Some of the excess sugar will naturally drip down in the first few minutes, then it will take that long to properly harden.

Store in a cool, dry place until the party is ready to begin and fill with anything you'd like. I recommend adding some dry ice to the bottom of the glass before adding the liquid, so it'll smoke and bubble when the liquid is added.  If you're looking for something dark red, check out my adult raspberry lemonade.  But any basic fruit punch, cranberry juice, wine or red drink you like will work just as well.  For kids, Powerade or Kool-aid of any color works great, and give it a name like Bug Blood (blue or green), Worm Spit (orange or yellow), or Pureed Spider (purple).

And of course, you can use any mixed drink you'd like...

In the photo above, I've used a Cabernet from Chateau Ste. Michele for the wine glass, a little bit of blue punch for the kids, and then made one of my concoctions for the water goblet, the Zombifier.  It's a high alcohol drink guaranteed to make you shamble aimlessly around a social situation.  It's similar to a Long Island with a little color, fruit flavor, and smoke to give it the potion effect.

The Zombifier

1 shot gin
1 shot rum
1 shot tequila
1 shot lemon vodka
For color, either one shot melon liqueur and 1 drop green food coloring for slow zombies (Romero Night of the Living Dead Style)...
or 1 shot raspberry liqueur and 1 drop red food coloring for fast zombies (28 Days Later style)
Ice
Dry ice

Fill a water goblet 3/4 of the way with ice cubes.  Add the gin, rum, tequila, vodka in and stir.  Then add the flavored liqueur and just enough food coloring to get the desired color.  Add the dry ice and stir so it sinks to the bottom and serve as it is bubbling.

So make a set of these glasses for your next party and get some spooky on.

Witch Fingers and a green Pepper Spider

I've been trying to come up with gory foods for our Halloween parties for years.  I love the actual size Jello brain molds.  Creating a giant colored, hand-shaped ice cube that floats in the punch bowl works extremely well. 

But the one that I've had the most praise is the Witch Finger breadsticks.  They look weird and slightly realistic.  And they're a great appetizer before the big meal.  Use them to dip into almost anything.

And best of all, making these breadsticks is fun to do with the kids.  Except for the knife work on the knuckles, they can help every step of the way.

Witch Finger Breadsticks

Makes about 20-30

1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups warm water (around 105 degrees)
6 tablespoons melted butter
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Green food coloring
3 dozen almonds

Combine the yeast, brown sugar, and water in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer.  Let if foam up for about 5 minutes.  While you're waiting, melt the butter in the microwave and allow to cool.  Add the butter and two cups of flour and mix well using the bread hook attachment.  Add the green food coloring until the color is slightly darker than expected (the color will lighten a bit as you add the final ingredients).  Slowly add the rest of the flour until it collects into a ball around the bread hook, it does not stick to the bowl and it not sticky to the touch. 

Separate out the dough into 20-24 small balls.  Roll each dough ball out to a skinny stick, slightly narrower on one end.  Using a sharp knife, score a few slices 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down to make it look like the folds of skin on the knuckles. 

Place the breadstick onto a greased cookie sheet.  Take an almond and press it down into the narrow end of the breadstick so it looks like an old crusty fingernail. 

Heat the oven up to 150 and then turn it off.  Place the breadsticks in the warm oven to rise for 20 minutes.  After rising, Remove them from the oven while you preheat it to 350 degrees. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until one single breadstick starts to turn brown.  Immediately pull them so they don't brown over.  If you're really industrious, you can pull out the red food coloring, paint the bottom tip of the bredsticks red so it looks like they were freshly lopped off the hand.

Now you can serve them with pizza sauce or marinara sauce for a bloody dipping sauce.  Or you can pair them with any other cheese, chili, spinach, or artichoke dip you'd like.  You can make some of the Pumpkin Bread Bowls,  fill one with a gory looking marinara, and surroound it with a dozen of these breadsticks for a tasty, yet gruesome treat.

Now you don't have to make all of your green dough into the Witch Fingers.  My boys have been on a spider kick later, especially after seeing a 40" spider hanging from the light in the front yard.  So I decided that I would make a spider for them as well.

Take some of the dough and roll it into a 2-3" ball.  Set it on a greased cookie sheet.  Next roll out some more dough into a long, thin strand.  Slice it into 8 lengths and place them around the ball to form the legs.  Next, take a few peppercorns and place them across the face to form the plethora of eyeballs.  Using a small knife, slice up an almond to form the fangs and press them into the body. 

Finally, sprinkle ground pepper over the body to give it a dirty, almost hairy look.  Let it rise in a warmed oven as was described earlier or in a warm place for the 30 minutes, then cook in a 350 degree for 20 minutes or just until the skin slightly turns brown.

Now that you have all of these items, you can throw them all on a platter, make it look festive and gory, and serve it up at your Halloween party this year.

So make a batch of these breadsticks, add the creepy crawlies, and serve them up to your guests. 

Pumpkin or Jack O'Lantern Bread Bowls

The Halloween parties are happening in less than two weeks, so it's time to get a few things prepped.  You're gonna get dressed up, so why not dress up the food as well.

If you're going to serve any type of sauce or dip, or if you just want an edible decoration, you can make a batch of Pumpkin Bread Bowls.  They work well for any dip or soup, but there are other options as well, which we'll discuss at the end.


Pumpkin or Jack O'Lantern Bread Bowls
Makes 4 bowls

Pumpkins
1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups warm water (around 105 degrees)
6 tablespoons melted butter
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Orange food coloring

Stems
1/4 cups wet mixture (see instructions)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 cup flour
Green food coloring

Combine the yeast, brown sugar, and water in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer.  Let if foam up for about 5 minutes.  While you're waiting, melt the butter in the microwave and allow to cool.  Add the butter and two cups of flour and mix well using the bread hook attachment.  Scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture at this point and place in another bowl for later. (if you're making Witch Fingers, skip this scoop-out step, just use a little of that dough for the stems)

Add enough food coloring to achieve a orange that's a little darker than desired. (it'll lighten up, don't worry). Slowly add the rest of the flour until it collects into a ball around the bread hook, it does not stick to the bowl and it not sticky to the touch. 

Separate the dough into four large balls.  After they are rolled into balls, place your hands on the sides of one dough ball and using your fingers, press the underside up into the ball and slowly tuck the sides under as well.  Maintain the ball shape until the top of the ball is smooth.  This stretches the outer membrane of the dough ball tight for the next step.

Using a very sharp knife, slowly score a line in the skin of the dough ball from the top of the bottom.  This creates the signature creases of a pumpkin.  Do this 6-8 times around the dough ball. Just score the skin, don't make deep cuts.

Place the dough balls on a greased cookie sheet with lots of space in between.  Press the top center down into the ball to create that customary top indentation around the stem. 

(Skip this paragraph if you're making Witch Fingers as well, because you'll have the dough already.)  Turn your attention back to the 1/4 cup of wet mixture you extracted earlier.  Add enough food coloring to achieve the green color you want.  Then add the extra flour and mix the dough until it's no longer sticky.

Take a small amount of the green dough and roll out a top stem.  Press one end down into the indentation you created a moment ago and pinch around the edge of the stem and the top of the pumpkin so they stick together. 

Heat the oven up to 150 and then turn it off.  Place the pumpkins in the oven to rise for 20 minutes.  After rising, Remove them from the oven while you preheat it to 350 degrees.  Place them back into the oven  once it has reached the correct temperature and cook them for 25 minutes.  Check them at 20 minutes, because if they start to brown, don't let them stay in there too long.  Remove them to a cooling rack and then use them as you see fit.

There's a variety of applications you can apply to them.  If you have an edible ink pen, you can draw jack o'lantern faces on them. Trim off the top, hollow it out and fill it with any type of dip.  You could also use them as bowls and fill them with chili, clam chowder or some chicken noodle soup.  Or try carving them like a regular pumpkin; hollow them out, cut out a face, place an electric tea light inside and use it as a decoration.

Just be creative.  Now you can pair them with any other creations you make, like I did.  You can take three pumpkins and fill them with marinara sauce and two other types of dip.  Then add some Witch Finger breadsticks and any other decorations, like my Pepper Spider, for a tray of snacks for a ghoulish get-together. (The witch fingers and pepper spider recipe are coming up in the next couple of days)

So start prepping for Halloween or just a soup night this fall and make a batch of these pumpkins tonight!

Waffle Brownies

So this week's recipe is a quick callback to my childhood.  My mom used to make these great chocolate... well... it's hard to say exactly what they are.  It's chewy like a brownie, but it's like a cookie and moist like a slice of cake.  And you cook them not in an oven, but in the waffle maker!

So my mom named them Waffle Brownies.  They're very easy to make and you can have the kids help from start to finish.

The glaze that she made for them is the same glaze she would pour over a bundt cake.  It's a solid, shiny frosting that congeals as it cools.  It settles into the waffle dimples to create pools of sugary goodness.  And the cocoa powder shines through the sugar to make it rich and flavorful.

Any type of waffle iron will work. I prefer the standard waffle iron because the glaze is spread more evenly, but a Belgium Waffle maker works well, too.

Waffle Brownies

Batter
1 stick butter
7 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter and pour into a mixing bowl.  Add the cocoa powder, sugar and eggs and beat for 2 minutes.  Slowly add the flour, salt and vanilla and mix until well combined. 

Plug in your waffle iron.  Once it's fully heated, spray the waffle iron with non-stick spray.  Add the batter to the iron.  You can either make small brownies with a tablespoon of batter, or 3 or 4 tablespoons to fill an entire section.  Close the lid, cook for 1 1/2 minutes, then check for doneness.  If needed, cook for 1 more minute.  Remove to a cooling rack and repeat until the batter is gone.

Frosting/Glaze
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp corn syrup
3 tbsp water
2 cups powdered sugar

Add the cocoa powder, oil,water and corn syrup to a small saucepan and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.  The mixture should be a little shiny.  Remove from heat and add the sugar.  Mix until thoroughly combined.  If it's too thick, add a little more water.  Too thin?  Add a little more powdered sugar. Spoon some glaze onto each cookie and spread with the back of the spoon.

For a colored glaze for a holiday like Halloween, remove the cocoa, replace with the same amount of powdered sugar and enough food coloring to obtain the proper shade.

You can also add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract for a Mint frosting (this works with the chocolate version, or the colored version, especially in Christmas colors)

So make some desserts with the kids with the waffle iron.

Homemade Chicago Deep Dish VS. New York Style Pizza

There’s an old food feud out there: Who has the best Pizza? New York or Chicago? I have tried both and here are my opinions.

So you remember back in April and May when I was sent to the New York area for five weeks? Well, I tried to taste all of the customary New York culinary items. I went to Roxy’s with Liz and sampled a bit of New York style cheesecake… excellent. Ordered a New York street hot dog, and while it didn’t taste bad, it also didn’t cause my stomach and bowels to explode. Walked into a kosher deli and ordered a big ol’ sandwich. It made me a little verklempf. And of course, I tried the New York pizza… six times.

I ordered in twice from local places claiming to have authentic local pizza. Tried a slice from one of the multitude of cloned Ray’s Pizzas, the one in midtown, not the original downtown. Ate a couple of pieces downnear Times Square with Liz. Stopped at a little hole in the wall pizza and beer bar and partook of two slices for lunch one day. And finally ran into the Wall Street Deli and grabbed a sausage slice on my way to the subway after riding the Staten Island Ferry. So I’d say I had a pretty good sampling of the legendary New York Pizza and I’ve gotta say… meh.

Yes, seriously. Meh. None were bad, but none of them knocked my socks off. The crust was great, and the cheese was stretchy. But most of them had pretty bland sauces. Toppings were OK, but the sausage wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. And a few different times, I saw them do the Sbarro trick. Want a slice of pepperoni and mushroom? Take a pepperoni slice, throw on a few mushrooms and put it back in the oven long enough to have the cheese melt around it. Let’s just say I was a little disappointed.

I’ve tried a few different Chicago style pizzas in my life. When I won that X96 Pie contest with the Peppermint Fudge Pie, I was given a trip to Chicago. While I was there, my brother and I went to Giordano’s for a deep dish Chicago-style pizza. It was at least 2 inches thick and stuffed with cheese, sausage and pepperoni. Besides the basic bottom crust, another layer of crust laid over the top of the pie, entombing the toppings and coated with a slathering of spicy tomato sauce. We carved into the brick of a pie and started feeding our faces.

And I felt like I died and went to heaven. Perfect combination of spicyness and sweetness in the sauce. The juices from the sausage and pepperoni had bonded with the cheese into this perfect molten melding of deliciousness. And the crust? The crust was buttery with a mix of garlic. Yes, there was a lot of crust, but what I could shove into my face was great.

I’ve also tried the pies at Gino’s East, which is just as good, if not better. And Connie’s Pizza had locations in Downtown Chicago, Elgin, Near Loyola, and Holladay, Utah (yes, 2000 East and 6200 South) so I’d get takeout from them all the time. And so far, I’ve had yet to have a disappointing pizza.

So sorry NYC, I love you as a city, but you lose as a pizza mecca. Chicago is my winner.

Now Connie’s is gone, so you can’t order from there anymore. Sweet Home Chicago in Draper and South Jordan has some pretty good pies as well. But you can also make this pizza masterpiece in your own home as well. It does take a little time to prepare the crusts and it does take a while to cook (40 minutes), but if you’re willing to take the time to make it, you’ll be extremely pleased with it.

This is one of the few things I cook that require its own special pan. To pull the pizza off, you have to have a deep dish pizza pan. You can pick them up almost anywhere. The metal ones work wonderfully. You can butter them up before placing the crust inside. That way you have no sticking to the pan and the added bonus of the butter being sucked into the crust during the cooking process. I personally use a deep dish pizza stone. Why? Because I received it as a gift for my wedding. It does work very well, but they can be pricey and don’t offer any significant benefit over the metal ones. Use whatever one you’d like.

I have posted recipes for Pizza Dough and Pizza Sauce previously and they work great in this recipe, but you can use your personal favorite as well.

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
Serves 4 very hungry people or 6 regular people

2 14” pizza crusts
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups pizza sauce
Any toppings you’d like (anything like pepperoni, sausage, salami, ham, mushrooms, olives, peppers, onions, etc.)
1 ½ pounds shredded mozzarella cheese

Use the butter to grease the inside of a deep dish pizza pan. Lay one pizza crust into the pizza pan and press flat and stretch up and over the edge of the pan. Spread 1 cup of sauce on top of the crust to form a thin layer throughout. Sprinkle a light layer of cheese across the sauce to cover it, then add in the toppings you’ve prepared. Add the rest of the cheese to bury the toppings. Place the second crust over the entire pizza and pinch the edges together to form a seal for the filling and a ring to hold in the next layer. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the pizza, then spread until equally thick. Place in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top crust edges are a shade deeper than golden brown. Cut and serve after letting it rest for about 5 minutes.

Now on a good day, I can eat four pieces of pizza from your pizza chain. In comparison, two slices of this deep dish will make me want to lay down and rest. But it warms up on the microwave really well, so you can munch on it for a few days at lunch.

So make a pie, share it for family and friends and feel like you’re sitting off the river in Chicago. As for New York… definitely visit and enjoy one of the best cities in the world, but save your pizza money for cheesecake and cannolis.