Halloween Soiree

Last night I hosted an intimate Halloween Soiree. My only request for guests was to bring a pumpkin and carving tools. The menu was chinese-inspired with a few festive touches here and there. 

 The Red Stamp app on my iphone is my favorite way to create quick invites & menu cards.

I used a giant glass pickling jar that looks like a faux barrel to make and serve the apple cider punch in. Inside the jar, I  floated honeycrisp apples that were spiked with cloves for visual appeal. The punch was composed of apple cider that had seen mulled in spices, whiskey, fermented hard cider, and gingerale. It was a major hit served over ice in festive jack-o-lantern wine glasses. 

I kept all of the beer chilled in my fridge and then lined up one of each type next to the punch and wine bar area so guests knew what they had to choose from. Beer selections included Angry Orchard Hard Apple Cider, Lucky Buddha Enlightened Chinese Lager, Werewolf Edition Newcastle Blood Red Ale, and Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale all ordained with cobweb collars (made from cupcake liner wrappers). 

For appetizers it was simple crudites with scallion dip and baked spicy dungeness crab rangoon in little wonton cups (formed them using a mini cupcake pan). 

For dinner we made classic pork char sui (chinese bbq pork) with steamed buns and a plethora of accoutrements including plum sauce, hoisin, cilantro, pickled cucmber, toasted sesame seeds, butter-soy shitake mushrooms, and shaved scallions.  I also whipped up a quick miso lime slaw topped with roasted pepitas. 

For dessert, vials of candy corns and a pumpkin tart (compliments of Stephanie!) followed by pumpkin carving and the premiere of HBO's new film, The Girl which shines a (creepy) light on Alfred Hitchcock's (Toby Jones) borderline sick obsession with leading lady, Tippi Hedren (Sienna Miller), during the filming of The Birds and Marnie. 

10 days until Halloween!!