A Recipe for Halloween

We had such a wonderful Halloween party over the weekend. Wish you could have been there! I cannot wait to show you pics of the fun we had. But first I'll share one of the terrorific dishes we enjoyed. I've promised lots of fun recipes for you this Halloween season and I promise there'll be more where this came from!

Frankenstein's Brain

3 lbs of frozen cooked medium shrimp (with tails), thawed and drained well
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 cup of chicken broth
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
3 cloved garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a 1 1/2-quart glass bowl (3 inches high, 7 1/2 inches in diameter), begin arranging shrimp, tails toward the center, in a circle to make a flat layer in the bottom of the bowl. (Only the round backs of the shrimp should be visible from the outside of the bowl. Repeat layers until bowl is full, pressing down every couple layers. As bowl fills up , tuck strips of the roasted red pepper in and around shrimp forming "blood vessels". (It helps to peer through the sides of the glass bowl to adjust as necessary.) When bowl is full, press down firmly with a plate that fits inside the bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine chicken broth and unflavored gelatin; let stand 5 minutes. Cook and stir over medium heat until gelatin has dissolved. Whisk in lemon peel, lemon juice, tomato paste, honey, garlic, salt, ginger and cayenne pepper until combined. Pour mixture over shrimp in bowl. Cover and chill at least 5 hours or overnight.

To unmold, set bowl in sink filled with warm water for several seconds. Invert a large plate and bowl together and remove bowl to unmold. Cover and chill until needed. (Up to 24 hours)


Tastes MUCH better than it looks! For those of you who are on the squimish side, I have a nice little Owl Cake coming up just for you! Enjoy!