Amnesia: The Dark Descent – Amnesia Drink
I’m a huge fan of all things horror, which explains why Halloween is my favourite time of year - endless horror movie marathons and extended surival horror game sessions. Although I can brave the most gruesome of films, I get sucked into games more than I should. After I had to stop playing Dead Space due to palpitations, you’d think I’d know better than to even attempt to play Amnesia; a game which I credit as both the most terrifying and well made horror game in recent years. I’ve managed to play about an hour of Amnesia, and this Halloween I’m determined to finish it. Although I may need a sip of its very own drink to forget the fear…
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Costume Quest – Pizza Sundae
Pizza Sundae was the big winner of the Costume Quest vote, even my own mother was begging for this one to win! When thinking about how to make this I had to consider quite a few things – is this more savoury and pizza based? Or sweet and ice-cream based? I decided that blue layer indicated something sweeter, in fact it reminded me of fond memories eating tutti-frutti ‘Smurf’ ice-cream in Italy as a child. So I constructed a kind of pie filled with the many layers and heart of an ice-cream sundae.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
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Costume Quest – Mossy Log
Mossy Log came second in the Costume Quest vote. I’m glad Mossy Log won because it meant I had the perfect excuse to invest in an electric hand mixer and finally got to witness what “stiff egg whites” looked like outside of a cookery show. I had a bit of a quandary over whether to make Mossy Log as one big cake or lots of little cake rolls – in the end I thought it would be better to create a large cake. You could of course make several large cakes and claim them as small cakes and eat as many as you like. That’s my kind of cake logic.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
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Costume Quest – Choconana
“There’s always money in the banana stand…” That is literally all I can say about this.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
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Request: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Yeto’s Soup
I had planned on doing this soup for a while so when I got a number of requests through for anything from Zelda I thought this seasonal soup would fit in nicely. Also since most of us will be taking part in my favourite activity of pumpkin carving next week it would be useful to have a pumpkin based recipe. I have fond memories of Twilight Princess, it felt a lot more traditional than incarnations such as Wind Waker, although I must admit my favourite Zelda is actually Links Awakening (controversial). Yeto’s Soup comes from Yeto, a rather cuddly looking yeti, in the Snowpeak Ruins. His wife, Yeta, is very sick but you can help by giving Yeto the ingredients for his healing soup. It goes through three stages of strength – a Reekfish creates a Simple Soup, adding an Ordon Pumpkin makes Good Soup and finally adding Ordon Goats Cheese makes it a Superb Soup that restores eight hearts. Obviously I’m going for the full eight heart Superb Soup here.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
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Costume Quest Hallowe’en Special Winners!
We have in first place, Pizza Sundae, second goes to Mossy Log and in a close third it’s Choconana! A huge thanks to everyone who voted! There were far more of you than I expected. The Hallowe’en Special will be posted on Wednesday October 26th so you can have the recipes in time for your own Hallowe’en celebrations! Now to figure out what costume to wear this year and how on earth to make a Pizza Sundae…
Vote for the Gourmet Gaming Hallowe’en Special!
This Hallowe’en I’ll be doing a ‘Costume Quest’ Gourmet Gaming special! I’ve picked 10 of my favourite Creepy Treats so vote for your favourite in the Facebook Poll by September 30th and see the top 3 come to life for Hallowe’en!
VOTE HERE
Or if you’d rather, you can leave a comment here for the one you’d like and I can add it to the Facebook poll votes.
![Amnesia: The Dark Descent – Amnesia Drink
I’m a huge fan of all things horror, which explains why Halloween is my favourite time of year - endless horror movie marathons and extended surival horror game sessions. Although I can brave the most gruesome of films, I get sucked into games more than I should. After I had to stop playing Dead Space due to palpitations, you’d think I’d know better than to even attempt to play Amnesia; a game which I credit as both the most terrifying and well made horror game in recent years. I’ve managed to play about an hour of Amnesia, and this Halloween I’m determined to finish it. Although I may need a sip of its very own drink to forget the fear…
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
[[MORE]]
This recipe serves 2.
What you will need: A small pot, a blender and a cocktail shaker.
Ingredients:
6 Cubes Rose Turkish Delight
280ml / 1¼ Cup Milk
Ruby Red Food Colouring (Optional)
35ml / 1.2 fl oz. Vanilla Vodka
Ice
Making the Amnesia Drink:
Finely chop the Turkish Delight into small pieces, then place it in the pot along with the milk. Bring the milk to a gentle simmer on a low heat until the Turkish Delight begins to melt.
After about 5 minutes, pour the mixture into a clean vessel and blend until smooth. Allow the rose flavour milk to come to room temperature before chilling in the fridge. If the drink isn’t quite pink enough, add some ruby red food colouring to reach the desired shade.
Once the milk has chilled, pour it into a cocktail shaker over some ice. Add the vodka then shake it up. Strain the drink into a glass, adorn with rose petals and serve.
“That taste… That fragrance… Damascus Rose…”
Like this? You might also enjoy the Sims - Love Potion #8.5.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcs0daKWCi1qjhjgyo1_500.jpg)
![Costume Quest – Pizza Sundae
Pizza Sundae was the big winner of the Costume Quest vote, even my own mother was begging for this one to win! When thinking about how to make this I had to consider quite a few things – is this more savoury and pizza based? Or sweet and ice-cream based? I decided that blue layer indicated something sweeter, in fact it reminded me of fond memories eating tutti-frutti ‘Smurf’ ice-cream in Italy as a child. So I constructed a kind of pie filled with the many layers and heart of an ice-cream sundae.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
[[MORE]]
This recipe serves 6-8.
What you will need: 9 inch pie dish, greaseproof paper/baking parchment, baking tray, large and medium bowls, a whisk.
For the Base:
110g / 1 Cup Salted Peanuts (Finely chopped/crushed)
200g / 1½ Cups Digestive Biscuits (Crushed)
50g / ¼ Cup Butter (Melted)
For the Sundae:
200g / 2 Cups Good quality:
Strawberry Ice-cream
White Vanilla Ice-cream
Chocolate Ice-cream
Red & Blue Food Colouring
18g / ½ Cup Mini Marshmallows (The smaller the better)
50g / ½ Cup Small Chocolate Chips/Chunks
200ml / 1 Cups Double Cream
6 Tablespoons White Caster Sugar
8 Glacé Cherries (Halved)
Preparing the Base:
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F and place the baking tray inside to heat up. Grease and line the pie dish and set aside.
In a bowl add the peanuts, crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter and mix thoroughly.
Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pie dish and make a few holes in the base with a fork. Place the pie dish in the oven on top of the preheated baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge to chill.
Preparing the Sundae:
Remove the strawberry ice-cream from the fridge and allow it to soften – not too much, just enough that it is manageable. Once soft, adjust the colour (if not pink enough) with a little red food colouring and mix well.
Mix the mini marshmallows into the strawberry ice-cream then pour the mixture into the pie crust ensuring it is smooth and even. Place in the freezer to chill.
Next remove the vanilla ice-cream and allow to soften. This time add a few drops of blue food colouring and mix well until the right shade has been achieved.
Take the now frozen pie from the freezer - please make sure each layer is fully frozen before you add the next otherwise they will mix and it will be more difficult! Pour the blue-vanilla ice-cream on top, spread evenly then return to the freezer to set.
Once frozen again, remove the chocolate ice-cream and allow to soften. Add a few drops of red food colouring to add a subtle red hue to the chocolate layer. Mix in the chocolate chunks/chips.
Pour the chocolate ice-cream over the blue-vanilla then return the pie to the freezer.
Take the pie from the freezer 20 minutes before serving to allow to thaw. Whip the double cream, slowly adding the sugar to taste, then add the whipped cream on top and scatter with glacé cherries. Serve with a hot chocolate or fudge sauce if desired.
From above, the Pizza Sundae actually looks like a pizza covered in some bizarre red olives – mission accomplished! Originally I wanted the crust to be a cookie crust, but after a bit of research I discovered this wouldn’t freeze very well and was forced to use a cheesecake style base. I added in some salted peanuts to create a nice contrast with the sweetness of the ice-cream filing – I always love nuts in my sundaes for this reason and it works just as well here. I had toyed with the idea of the blue layer maybe being minty but decided in the end to go with the classic Neapolitan flavours – the vanilla layer acting as a nice balance between the strong flavours of the strawberry and chocolate. I was really worried this wasn’t going to work and I seriously impressed even myself when I finally cut it open! With whipped cream and a cherries on top I think the Pizza Sundae is the future of sundaes and the combinations are nearly endless!
Don’t forget to check out the other winners - Mossy Log and Choconana!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltmakty5Ov1qjhjgyo1_r1_500.jpg)
![Costume Quest – Mossy Log
Mossy Log came second in the Costume Quest vote. I’m glad Mossy Log won because it meant I had the perfect excuse to invest in an electric hand mixer and finally got to witness what “stiff egg whites” looked like outside of a cookery show. I had a bit of a quandary over whether to make Mossy Log as one big cake or lots of little cake rolls – in the end I thought it would be better to create a large cake. You could of course make several large cakes and claim them as small cakes and eat as many as you like. That’s my kind of cake logic.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
[[MORE]]
This recipe serves 6-8.
What you will need: 30x35cm Swiss roll tin/baking tray, 4 large bowls, whisk, small Tupperware container, pot, greaseproof paper/baking parchment, spatula and a cupcake casing.
For the Chocolate Log:
5 Eggs (Room Temperature)
140g / 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
100g / 1 Cup Self-Raising Flour
25g / ¼ Cup High Quality Cocoa Powder
1 Cupcake Case
120 ml / ½ Cup Double Cream
1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
For the Frosting:
190 ml/ 1 Cup Double Cream
300g / 1½ Cups Dark Chocolate (70%+)
For the Moss:
25g / ¼ Cups Desiccated Coconut
Green Food colouring
To Garnish:
25g / ½ Cup Chocolate (For the shards)
Black Writing Icing Tube
Making the Moss:
In a small Tupperware container with a lid, pour in the desiccated coconut and a few drops of food colouring. Close the lid and shake well until the coconut is dyed and the desired colour. Set aside for later.
Making the Chocolate Frosting:
On a medium heat bring the cream to the boil then quickly remove from the heat – don’t let it burn or overflow! Break in the chocolate and mix well until it has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Leave the chocolate cream to cool then place in the fridge to chill for about an hour until spreadable.
Making the Chocolate Shards:
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie. Lay out a large piece of greaseproof paper/baking parchment on a counter then have another of the same size set aside. Once the chocolate has melted slowly pour it into the prepared paper and spread it out thinly leaving a small gap around the edges.
Place the second sheet of greaseproof paper/baking parchment over the top and press it down. Fold the paper up starting from the bottom into little strips until it’s all folded up then place in the fridge to chill.
Watch this video for step-by-step instructions - Making Chocolate Shards at FineCooking.com.
Making the Chocolate Roll:
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F, have your cupcake casing ready and grease and line the Swiss roll tin.
Separate the eggs; put the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the whites in another. Add the sugar and water to the egg yolks and whisk well until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift in the cocoa powder and flour and gently fold them in, keeping the air.
Next whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and form peaks then gradually and lightly fold the egg whites into the cake mixture.
Spoon a small amount of the cake mixture into a cupcake case (enough to half fill it) then pour the rest into the prepared tin, spread until even and bake both for 10-15 minutes.
Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper/baking parchment onto a surface and sprinkle with cocoa poweder – once cooked turn the cake out onto the prepared sheet, cover with a tea towel and allow to cool. Leave the cupcake aside to cool also.
Once the cake has cooled trim any edges to create a perfect rectangle. Using the greaseproof paper underneath, roll up the cake into the shape with the paper inside and set aside.
Whip the double cream with the sugar to taste. Unroll the cake and spread the cream inside, leave a small gap on the edges. Roll the cake up again and place in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.
Making the Mossy Log:
Take the cake from the fridge and using a little bit of the chocolate frosting stick the cupcake on top of the cake to create the stump. Frost the entire outside of the cake liberally, covering the cupcake stump and creating a smooth finish.
Sprinkle the green coconut over the top in small batches being careful not to get any stuck on the stump.
Take the sheet of chocolate from the fridge and unroll it, it should snap and break and create the shards. Picking ones that are the right size, stick them to the frosting along the bottom of the cake on the front and back, half way up.
Use the black writing icing to create a swirl on the stump and your Mossy Log is ready to serve.
This cake is delicious. Actually it’s not really a cake it’s more like a chocolatey cloud. Someone suggested a minty kick would go down well, so maybe adding a little peppermint extract to the coconut would be nice. Although this is supposed to be a Halloween creepy treat, I think it would nicely replace any Yule log at Christmas too.
Don’t forget to check out the other winners - Pizza Sundae and Choconana!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lto3t0nLil1qjhjgyo1_500.jpg)
![Costume Quest – Choconana
“There’s always money in the banana stand…” That is literally all I can say about this.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
[[MORE]]
This recipe serves 4.
What you will need: Large baking tray, greaseproof paper/baking parchment, large pot and medium pot, wooden spoon, a whisk, and a flavour injector/syringe.
Ingredients:
4 Small Bananas
100g / 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Variety of Toppings:
Crushed Nuts
Coconut
Sprinkles
Cookie Crumbs etc.
For the Caramel Filling:
100g / ½ Cup White Caster Sugar
3 Tablespoons Butter
60ml / ¼ Cup Double Cream
Making the Caramel Filling:
Heat the sugar in a large, heavy pot on a medium to high heat. Once the sugar begins to melt stir it constantly then stop once it comes to the boil. Ensure all the sugar has dissolved, it should be a dark golden colour.
Immediately add the butter and whisk until the butter has melted. Once melted take the pan off the heat. While whisking gently pour in the cream slowly – the caramel will puff up then settle.
Once whisked to a smooth consistency, allow the caramel to cool for a few minutes then transfer it to a clean cup or suitable vessel and set aside for later.
Making the Choconana:
Fill the flavour injector/syringe with the warm caramel sauce. Peel the bananas and lay them onto a baking tray. Into each banana in about 3 locations inject a little of the caramel sauce. If you do not have a syringe, use the caramel sauce as a dipping sauce.
Have all your ingredients prepared – have your toppings laid out in large bowls, melt the chocolate over a bain-marie then set aside.
Taking the bananas one at a time dip them into the chocolate then sprinkle with the toppings of your choice or leave them plain. Place them back on the greaseproof lined tray to dry or place in the fridge to chill.
Firstly it was really difficult to take flattering pictures of these so I apologise. They actually look like turds. Yummy turds though. You could literally pair anything you fancy with these, in fact all of the Costume Quest recipes compliment each other. Why not enjoy a Choconana on top of the Ice-cream Sundae, or pour the caramel sauce over the Mossy Log? Again if you don’t have a syringe don’t worry, just pour the caramel over or use it as a dipping sauce and it’s just as delicious!
Don’t forget to check out the other winners - Pizza Sundae and Mossy Log!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltobi8Med21qjhjgyo1_500.jpg)
![Request: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Yeto’s Soup
I had planned on doing this soup for a while so when I got a number of requests through for anything from Zelda I thought this seasonal soup would fit in nicely. Also since most of us will be taking part in my favourite activity of pumpkin carving next week it would be useful to have a pumpkin based recipe. I have fond memories of Twilight Princess, it felt a lot more traditional than incarnations such as Wind Waker, although I must admit my favourite Zelda is actually Links Awakening (controversial). Yeto’s Soup comes from Yeto, a rather cuddly looking yeti, in the Snowpeak Ruins. His wife, Yeta, is very sick but you can help by giving Yeto the ingredients for his healing soup. It goes through three stages of strength – a Reekfish creates a Simple Soup, adding an Ordon Pumpkin makes Good Soup and finally adding Ordon Goats Cheese makes it a Superb Soup that restores eight hearts. Obviously I’m going for the full eight heart Superb Soup here.
Click ‘Read More’ for the full recipe!
[[MORE]]
This recipe serves 3-4.
What you will need:
A large pot, grater, baking tray, frying pan, baking tray, blender or hand blender.
For the Soup:
50g / ¼ Cup Butter
300g / 0.7lbs Pumpkin (Skinned and Choppped)
200g / 0.5lbs Sweet Potato (Skinned and Chopped)
2 Shallots (Chopped)
1 Small Clove Garlic
½ Teaspoon Grated Ginger
500ml / 2 Cups Vegetable/Chicken Stock
1-2 Tablespoons Goats Cheese
70 ml / ½ Cup Cream
75g / ½ Cup Smoked Haddock
75g / ½ Cup Pollock
Salt & Pepper
For the Pumpkin Garnish:
3 Pumpkin Wedges
1 Tablespoon Butter
Salt & Pepper
½ Teaspoon Dried Chilli Flakes
For the Potato Croutons:
Olive Oil
1 Medium Potato
Salt & Pepper
For the Carrot Tops:
5 Small carrots (Stalks On)
1 Tablespoon Butter
Preparing the Soup:
In a large pot on a medium heat melt the butter. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger and cook until soft. Add the pumpkin and sweet potato chunks and stir well, allowing to cook for another 10 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable/chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the pumpkin and sweet potato has cooked through. Once cooked transfer to a clean bowl and blend (or use a blender). Return the soup to a clean pot, if it’s too thick then slowly add more vegetable stock until the desired texture is achieved. Set the soup aside while you prepare the garnishes.
Making the Pumpkin Slices:
Preheat the oven to 200C/392F. Chop the pumpkin wedges into chunks and lay them onto a baking tray, cover with the butter, season and add the chilli flakes. Cook until soft and golden.
Making the Potato Croutons:
Dice the potato into small cubes and heat some olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the potatoes and season to taste, fry until crisp and golden brown.
Making the Carrot Tops:
Heat the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the carrots and allow to cook until slightly soft.
Finishing the Soup:
In a warm frying pan add a little olive oil and heat. Add the smoked haddock and pollock and fry for 1 minute. Pour in the cream and season with salt and pepper, allow the fish to cook for about 5 minutes in the cream.
Once the fish has cooked pour the cream mixture into the pumpkin soup, add the goats cheese and stir gently. Warm the soup through on a low heat so the goats cheese can melt.
Serve and garnish with the potato croutons, roast pumpkin slices and glazed carrot tops.
This is an interesting soup. I’ve never cooked with pumpkin or any type of gourd before, it’s not really as popular a thing to do here as it is in America (I still need to try pumpkin pie). There’s a nice balance of sweetness that’s cut by the sharpness of the goats cheese and smokiness of the fish – it is actually one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. I was not expecting it to be! I originally wanted to use monkfish but I couldn’t source any so I went with fish traditionally used in fish pies. I think the mixture of the smoked and white fish creates an interesting flavour that might mimic an actual Reekfish (despite it being based on a type of salmon). Yeto was definitely on to something with this soup and if it’s hearty enough for the Snowpeak Ruins then it’s a winter winner for me - I can feel my hearts restoring as I type.
Like this? You might also enjoy the Pokémon - Poffins.
Don’t forget! Next week will be the Costume Quest Hallowe’en Special that you all voted for!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lta2z8SxJa1qjhjgyo1_r2_500.jpg)
