Halloween Meatloaf

Halloween Meatloaf before cremation

One scary meal, fit for halloween.

Ingredients:

Meatloaf:

• 1 kg (2 lb.) ground beef

• 1 onion, grated,

• 1 egg

• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves chopped

• salt & pepper

Mummification:

• ketchup mixed with hot hot sauce

• 2 yellow tomatoes (eyes)

• blanched almonds

• 1 package bacon

Sauce:

• Drippings from the pan

• 1 cup milk or whipping cream

• 2-3 teaspoons redcurrant jelly

• a few drops of kulør* or gravy browning

• salt

• milk & all-purpose flour mixed to thicken the sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Mix the meats with the rest of the ingredients. Form a round loaf  with indents for eyes and an open mouth in an ovenproof pan. Place the almonds like teeth in the mouth. Brush the loaf with ketchup mixture. Wrap the bacon around the meatloaf. Use yellow tomatoes for eyes.

Cook the meatloaf in the oven for about 20 minutes. Add about a cup of warm water to the pan, this will later be used for the sauce. Cook for 10-15 minutes more until it reaches a center temperature of about 167℉ (75℃).

The cremated halloween meatloaf

Pour the pan drippings into a sauce pan and heat it. Add milk and red currant jelly and thicken the sauce with milk and flour. Season with red currant jelly and salt.

Serve the meatloaf with mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

Green Poisonous Cake

Green Poisonous Cake

Well, the cake isn't poisonous, but the green color makes it look a bit toxic. The cake is a regular poundcake with green food coloring and some marzipan for some luxury.

This green poundcake was a classic cake to bring to school at birthdays and for "klassens time," a kind of free-time, where you might discuss current topics and issues, and maybe eat cake.

The vibrant color made me think, that it would be perfect for Halloween.

Makes one 9-inch square sheet pan.

Ingredients:

• 250 g butter, salted, room temperature
• 250 g sugar
• 35 g marzipan or 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 medium eggs. room temperature
• 1 teaspoons vanilla paste or the seeds from ½ vanilla bean
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
• green food color, I used a smallamount Wilton icing color

Frosting:

• 100 g confectionary sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• about 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 355℉ (180℃). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Cream the butter to fluffy and pale, with the sugar, add the marzipan and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Mix in one egg at a time. Mix flour and baking powder and add it with the milk and food coloring. Be careful not to over-mix the batter, mix until just incorporated.

Pour the batter in the pan, and bake the cake for about 25-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan. Mix the frosting, and frost the cooled cake.

Serve the cake with a good cup of tea or coffee.

Enjoy!

Danish version:

Grøn giftkage

Ingredienser:

• 250 gsmør, saltet, stuetemperatur

• 250 g sukker

• 35 g marcipan eller 1 tsk mandelessens

• 2 medium æg, stuetemperatur

• 1 tsk vanilje pasta eller kornene fra ½ vaniljestang

• 250 g hvedemel

• 1 tsk bagepulver

• 120 ml mælk

• lidt grøn frugtfarve, jeg brugte en lille smule grøn Wilton icing color

Glasur:

• 100 g flormelis

• 1 spsk kakaopulver

• ca 2 spsk vand

Fremgangsmåde:

Forvarm ovnen til 180℃. Beklæd en bradepande med bagepapir. 

Rør smør let og luftigt med sukker. Tilsæt marcipan og vanilje, og rør massen indtil du har en homogen masse. Æggene blandes i ét ad gangen. Pisk godt imellem hvert æg. Tilsæt de tørre ingredienser og mælk + frugtfarve skiftevis. Rør kun dejen så den lige er homogen. Hvis dejen overmikses ender du op med en tung og kompakt kage i stedet for en let og luftig.  

Hæld dejen i bradepanden, og bag kagen i ca. 25-35 minuter, indtil der ikke hænger dej ved en nål/tandstik, når den prikkes i kagen.  

Lad kagen køle i bradepanden. Bland glasuren, både en kakao, og en lille smule hvid. Dekorer den kølede kage. Jeg udstak mindre runde kager før dekoreringen.

Velbekomme!