Thread: Chef Gorey's Halloween Recipes

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Since my last post was received so favorably, I figured that everyone might enjoy my Halloween specific recipes.


White Bean and Sausage Stew in Pumpkin Shells
Serves 12

2 cups dried navy beans
12 small sugar pumpkins, about 2 pounds each, seeded and cleaned out
¼ cup olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, plus leaves for garnish (optional)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
5 cups homemade chicken stock (recipe follows) or low sodium canned chicken broth
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise, well washed
4 medium carrots, cut into ¼ inch rounds
1 celery stalk, strings removed, diced
36 red or white pearl onions, peeled
12 ounces small red fingerling or new potatoes, halved lengthwise
1-pound turkey sausage, cut into ½ inch pieces
1-cup baby peas, fresh or frozen, defrosted
8 ounces white-button mushrooms, wiped clean, quartered
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups milk
2 tablespoons fresh sage, coarsely chopped

1)(If you prepared the beans the night before, start with step 2.) Place the beans in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a strong boil over high heat. Cover, and remove from the heat; let stand for 1 hour.

2)Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take the prepared pumpkins and rub the insides with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkins, right side up, and lids on parchment-lined baking sheets, and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the pumpkins over, and continue to bake until tender but firm, about 30 minutes more. Set aside.

3)Place the bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns in a 6-inch square of cheesecloth. Draw up the edges and tie the bundle with a piece of kitchen twine; set aside. Drain navy beans, and place in a medium stockpot. Add the chicken stock, onion, and cheesecloth bundle. Cover, and bring to a boil; reduce heat, still covered, until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard the cheesecloth bundle.
4)In a large stockpot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the leeks, carrots, celery, pearl onions, and potatoes. Cook until softened, about 12 minutes. Add the sausage, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and mushrooms. Sprinkle in the flour, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the milk and reserved cooking liquid, and stir the stew until it thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in the reserved beans and sage. Divide stew among the pumpkins, and return to the oven, bake until pumpkins are soft and stew is heated through, about 15 minutes. Garnish with thyme leaves, if using, and place reserved lids on top. Serve hot.

Notes: Pearl onions are easier to peel after being soaked for five minutes in very hot water. You can prepare the beans the night before by placing them in a medium bowl, covered with 2 inches of cold water and soak overnight. I like serving this with sour cream and shredded cheese. When the cream and cheese blends, it becomes like heaven!! Serve with a thick-crusted bread.



Homemade Chicken Stock
Makes 5 quarts

2 leeks, white and pale green parts, cut into thirds, well washed
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
6 springs fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried
6 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley
2 dried bay leaves
2 carrots, cut into thirds
2 celery stalks, cut into thirds
1 four-pound chicken, cut into 6 pieces
1 ½ pounds chicken wings
1 ½ pounds chicken backs
2 forty-eight ounce cans (3 quarts) low sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
6 cups cold water, or more

1)Place the leeks, peppercorns, dill, parsley, bay leaves, carrots, celery, whole chicken, wings and backs in a large stockpot. Add the chicken broth and water, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a very gentle simmer, and cook, uncovered, about 45 minutes. The liquid should just bubble up to the surface. A skin will form on the surface; skim it off with a slotted spoon and discard. After about 45 minutes, remove the whole chicken from the pot, and set aside to cool.

2)Remove the meat from the bones, set meat aside, and return the bones to the pot. Transfer the meat to the refrigerator for another use.

3)Continue to simmer the stock mixture, on the lowest heat possible for 3 hours, skimming foam from the top as needed. The chicken bones will begin to disintegrate. Add water if at any time the surface level drops below the bones.

4)Fill a large bowl with ice and water, set aside. Strain the stock through a fine sieve or a cheesecloth lined strainer into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Transfer the bowl to ice bath; let the stock cool to room temperature.

5)Transfer stock to airtight containers. Stock may be labeled at this point and refrigerated for 3 days or frozen up to 4 months.

Notes: If freezing, leave the fat layer intact; it seals the stock. If refrigerating, chill for at least 8 hours and remove fat before using. When using stock for a specific recipe, make it ahead of time at least 12 hours, and refrigerate for eight hours to let the fat float to the top and can be removed.



Pumpkin Butter
Makes 2 cups

1 two pound sugar pumpkins, seeded, peeled, and cut into 2 inch chunks
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained

1)Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place pumpkin pieces in a roasting pan, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until pumpkin pieces are very tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth.

2)Transfer the pureed pumpkin to a medium saucepan, and cook over medium low heat, stirring often, until very thick, about 25 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and lemon juice; cook until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Cool and serve, or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Notes: I make this for the Halloween season and serve it with a thick-crusted bread. This is my personal favorite homemade butter.



Cinnamon-Clove Apple Butter
Makes 2 2/3 cups

2 pounds firm apples, cut into quarters
½ cup apple cider
½ cup water
1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground allspice
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1)Place apples, cider and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Pass mixture through a food mill fitted with a medium disk, and return to the saucepan.

2)Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, lemon zest, and juice. Place saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until very thick and dark brown, 2 ½ to 3 hours. Watch the mixture carefully as it thickens so as not to scorch. Cool completely, and serve, or store refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Notes: I served this as an alternative to the pumpkin butter.


G.H.O.S.T. Sandwiches
Makes 8

2 logs goat cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, or marjoram
8 sandwich rolls, such as ciabatta or pan bagnat
Tapenade (recipe follows)
1 ten-ounce head of oak leaf lettuce
1 ½ cups sun dried tomatoes soaked in olive oil
Olive oil for drizzling
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1)Roll goat cheese in chopped herbs; slice into ¼ inch thick rounds. Cut rolls in half; spread with Tapenade.

2)Layer rolls with lettuce, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with remaining bread, and serve.

Notes: The name comes from the first letter of the ingredients used: Goat cheese, Herbs, Oak-leaf lettuce, Sun-dried tomatoes, Tapenade. Really good and hearty sandwich, especially if paired with steamed fall vegetables. I personally like it when the bread is toasted.


Tapenade
Makes 1 1/3 cups

2 cups pitted kalamata olives
¾ cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

Pulse olives and parsley in the bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. Tapenade will keep refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 4 days.




Ancient Eggs
Makes 1 dozen

1 dozen large eggs
2 quarts strong black tea, such as Earl Grey
¼ cup soy sauce
1-tablespoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons black sesame seeds

1)Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Place eggs in a 6-quart saucepan, and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain, and transfer to the ice bath.

2)Crack the eggs, leaving the shell on, and place in a large glass bowl. Cover with tea and soy sauce; refrigerate, covered, for 3 days. Remove the shells. Combine salt and sesame seeds, and serve with eggs.

Notes: To crack the eggshells without damaging the eggs, roll them gently with the palm of your hand on a countertop until the shell is finely cracked. I made this last year, BIG hit!! I would recommend serving this on a bed of lettuce. The insides retain the same appearance; the only difference inside is the taste.


Pumpkin-Apple Bread
Makes 10 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1-teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 large egg
1-cup low fat buttermilk
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
1-teaspoon confectioner’s sugar

1)Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.; spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

2)In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a small bowl, beat the egg; add the buttermilk, apple, and pumpkin. Pour over the flour mixture; stir until just blended (don’t over mix).

3)Spoon into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 – 1 ¼ hours. Cool in the pan on a rack 10 minutes; remove from the pan and cool completely on the rack. Dust with the confectioner’s sugar.

Notes: I served this with the pumpkin butter and it was heaven. Neither was overwhelming in taste, nor did they didn’t compete with each other.




Pumpkin Cake
Makes 20 servings

6 cups all purpose flour
4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 large eggs
1-cup canola oil
1-cup fat free milk
2 cans (15 oz each) pumpkin puree
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ounces milk chocolate
Orange Glaze (recipe follows)

1)Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 2 10 inch Bundt pans with nonstick spray, then lightly dust with flour.

2)In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil, milk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture; stir until just blended.

3)Pour the batter into each of the pans, making sure they’re even. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 – 60 minutes. Cool in the pans on a rack 15 minutes; remove from the pans and continue cooling on the rack 30 minutes longer.

4)Using a knife, trim the bottoms of each cake so that they’re as flat as possible. Invert one of the cakes to become the bottom of the completed cake. Trim the bottom of this one so it sits level on the serving tray.

5)Melt the chocolate in either a microwavable bowl, or in a double boiler pot. Stir until smooth. Once melted, spread a layer over the bottom of the inverted cake. Then place the upright cake on top of the chocolate layer.

6)Working quickly, carefully pour the orange butter glaze over the cake, tilting the cake as necessary to get a smooth coat on all sides. Let the glaze set completely before garnishing it with a paper stem.


Orange Butter Glaze
Makes 2 cups

5 tablespoons milk
A few drops of orange liquid-paste food coloring
4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1)In a small bowl, combine the milk and the orange food coloring until the mixture reaches the desired color, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and the melted butter. Add the milk mixture, and continue whisking until smooth. Use immediately!

Notes: I used a paper lunch bag twisted into the shape of a stem and wrapped it tightly with green floral tape to hold it in shape. Insert the stem in the center of the cake. Now you could remove the stem before serving, but I left mine in cause I was tired of people asking me what it was while I was trying to hold my party.

Thank you for sharing. Not sure which I want to try first. I am definitely going to have to make the pumpkin butter as I love all things pumpkin.

The pumpkin butter, if done right, comes out incredibly smooth. One of these days, if someone were to get everyone together, somewhere, I would love to cook for all of you!!

Also, try the eggs. The look on people's faces is classic!!

The pumpkin and apple butters sound great!

I am very intrigued by your "Ancient Eggs" but a little perplexed on how to present them on a buffet. Do you serve the whole egg, peeled, on a lettuce lined platter and serve the salt/ sesame mix on the side or do you roll the egg in the mixture? A whole egg seems more than a mouthful at a party, could I make deviled eggs from the ancient eggs?

I copied it!!! Now, I need money so I go buy these things and learn how to make it! YUMMIE. I am going to eat now I am hungry!! LOL!

Originally Posted by Tannasgach

I am very intrigued by your "Ancient Eggs" but a little perplexed on how to present them on a buffet. Do you serve the whole egg, peeled, on a lettuce lined platter and serve the salt/ sesame mix on the side or do you roll the egg in the mixture? A whole egg seems more than a mouthful at a party, could I make deviled eggs from the ancient eggs?

You serve the eggs peeled with the sesame mix on the side so the guests can decide how much they want. You could make deviled eggs from them, it would give the eggs a much more evil look with the pattern on the outside!

Gore, I love this idea! I have to know how they look now. lol So different then the eyeball eggs! Since I'm doing a voodoo/bayou party I'll call them "alligator eggs".

Thanks so much for this and all the wonderful recipes you post.

I'll see if I can find a camera and take a few photos. I'm not promising anything cause of my messy apartment.

lol Thanks Chef. When I get the time, I'll try to make them too.