Orange is my favorite color, so I love Halloween-inspired cooking because there are so many orange ingredients to choose from: squash, sweet potato, clementines, carrots, and candy corns.
Get out your Sharpie and send a basket of clementine jack-o-lanterns to school for your little ones’ Halloween party. They will also love candy corn white chocolate cookies. After the trick-or-treating is over, make the cookies again, this time substituting any of those candies your kids collected for candy corn. The cookies will be different and delicious every time — with Skittles, M&Ms, chopped Snickers, or Starburst.
Halloween night is the definition of revolving door dinner. Little ones eat super early, bigger kids come later and adults graze throughout the night. For an easy and festive dinner, keep a batch of pulled pork warm in the slow cooker and make pulled pork sliders available no matter when hungry bellies are ready. All you need are some pickles and coleslaw to throw on top and you have yourself a meal.
If your house is home base for the neighborhood, have this delicious sweet potato and tahini dip ready with za’atar dusted toasted pita chips. I know what you are thinking: That sounds too fancy, but it is so easy, delicious and, thanks to a sprinkle of purple sumac on top, it looks so festive for Halloween night.
My last suggestion actually is a little higher maintenance than usual, so those with little kids can stop reading. But if you’re an empty nester who doesn’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters, this one’s for you. Call a few friends and enjoy this incredible, hot, honey butternut squash tart. I like to serve small slivers as an appetizer, but it can also work as a decadent side dish to a simple grilled chicken, or in keeping with our orange theme, go with the salmon.
I hope your Halloween is full of all kinds of oranges treats and very few tricks.
Butternut Squash Tart with Hot Honey
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
Crust:
6 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Filling:
1 butternut squash (1¾ lbs), peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick half moons
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
3 Tablespoon honey
Kosher salt
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
1½ cups gruyere cheese, cut into small cubes
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Special equipment: a 9-inch springform pan
For the crust:
Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Put the flour, sugar and ½ t. salt into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until thoroughly combined with no visible chunks of butter. Add the egg and pulse until the dough just starts to clump. Transfer the dough to the springform pan and press it evenly on the bottom and 1 inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For the filling:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 375° F.
Toss the butternut squash slices with the melted butter, sage, 1 T. honey and 1 t. salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle the Parmesan and breadcrumbs evenly on the bottom of the crust, then scatter over ½ cup of the gruyere cubes. Lay out a single layer of butternut squash slices, breaking off pieces of squash to fill any gaps. Scatter another ½ cup of gruyere over the squash. Top with the rest of the butternut squash slices and then the remaining ½ cup gruyere.
Put the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake until the squash can be pierced easily with a knife, about 1 hour and 40 minutes to 1 hour and 50 minutes. (If crust gets too dark, cover loosely with foil.)
Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, crushed red pepper and the remaining 2 T. honey in a microwave-safe bowl large enough to contain it (the honey may boil over in the microwave). Microwave for 30 seconds to heat up the honey and infuse the chile flavor. Reserve.
When tart comes out of the oven, drizzle all over with the chile-infused honey and serve immediately.
Sweet Potato Baba Ghanoush
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzle
2 lbs. sweet potatoes (2 medium)
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons tahini
1 garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Za’atar, toasted pita for serving
NOTE:
Cut pita into 8 pieces, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and Za’atar and toast in toaster oven until desired doneness
Steamed rice for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°
Wrap potatoes in aluminum foil and bake for 50-60 minutes, until fork tender.
Halve the potatoes; scoop flesh into a food processor. Add lemon juice, tahini, garlic and ¼ cup oil and process until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with Za’atar and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pita or hothouse cucumber slices.
