Are you ready for #FreakyFruit season?? Because we are! Halloween is a time for getting together with friends and family while indulging in sweets and horror films. Whether you’re throwing a huge neighborhood party or an intimate get together with close ones, we have THE Freaky Fruit™ recipes to get your party started!
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MONSTER MUNCHIN’
The first thing that comes to our mind when we think of parties is snacks! Luckily, this year we have healthy, fruitful snacks to fulfill your guests’ sweet tooth minus the cavities.
Now, what’s scarier than the possibility of pomegranate juice staining your clothes? Nothing, right? And that’s why we created this monster pomegranate snack recipe, to keep your guests on their feet! Kidding, but it does add a bit of fear in your guests if the appearance of these snacks doesn’t get them in the mood. Pomegranate filled rambutans give off a creepy crawler look due to the furry exterior of the rambutan, making them perfect as a spooky snack! And if monsters truly did exist, these are the treats we imagine they’d be snacking on.
MONSTER SNACKS
Makes 12 snacks
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 6 rambutans
- 1 pkg. Melissa’s pomegranate arils or 1 pomegranate
DIRECTIONS
Using a small sharp knife, make a shallow cut at the circumference of the rambutan, slicing through the skin but not the fruit itself. Remove the top half of the skin and pop the rambutan out of the bottom to reveal two rambutan shell “cups”. Reserve the fruit for another use.
If using a whole pomegranate, fill the sink with water. Then quarter the pomegranate, place the quarters in the sink, and use your fingers to release the arils. Collect all of the arils and dry. This method protects you and your kitchen from messy pomegranate juice!
Fill empty rambutan cups with pomegranate arils and serve!
If the monster snacks aren’t frightening enough, these zombie eyeballs are a MUST-TRY! Nothing screams Halloween more than a good ole’ bowl of zombie eyeballs. Not only will the appearance of these snacks get your guests shook, but the tartness of the passionfruit will also have them puckering their lips as if they saw a real zombie! Add sliced longans into the mix and you have the perfect zombie pupils in the flesh!
ZOMBIE EYEBALLS
Makes 8 eyeballs
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 8 longans
- 4 passion fruit
DIRECTIONS
Slice the tops off the longans to reveal the inner black seeds. Cut the passion fruits in half across the equator, and push the sliced longans into the passion fruit halves. Serve and enjoy.
Note: If longans aren’t available, create a similar effect with grapes and pomegranates. Slice green grapes in half, cut a tiny slit in the center, and push a single pomegranate aril into the grape. Then push the grapes into the passion fruit.
SCARY SIPPIN’
Let’s get the fun started and dive into drinks!! Nothing says party like a few alcoholic beverages to get your guests in the festive spirit. Whether you’re in the mood for a darker drink or a lighter one, we have a recipe for both!
When you think of Halloween, one of the most basic yet classic costumes has to be a witch. And while a witch costume is basic, our witches brew elixir is far from that! This sparkling dark drink is a for sure crowd pleaser due to the magical swirls within the mix. The combo between apple cider and spiced rum will give you all the fall feels you’re looking for during this time of year as well! And when you give the elixir a swirl, you’ll see exactly why we knew we needed to add this recipe to this year’s seasonal recipe list!
WITCHES BREW ELIXIR
Makes 1 cocktail
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 4 oz. apple cider
- 1 1/2 oz. spiced rum
- 3/4 oz. grenadine
- 1/4 tsp. edible luster dust
- Ice
DIRECTIONS
Add ice to cocktail shaker with apple cider, spiced rum, grenadine and luster dust and shake. Strain into your spookiest glass and serve.
What’s a fiesta without a margarita?? This zombie-rita is a fun twist on your classic margarita with the perfect fruit to garnish with as well. Mix your favorite tequila with some Grand Marnier, lime juice and the freakiest fruit, kiwano melon. The spikes on the melon are perfect to give your drink a frightening edge. Just cut a slice of the melon off and garnish your zombie-rita with a fun wedge full of spikes!
ZOMBIE-RITA
Makes 1 cocktail
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 1 kiwano melon
- 1 oz. tequila
- 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- Ice
DIRECTIONS
Cut kiwano melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Add kiwano melon seeds, tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice and ice to blender and blend. Serve drink garnished with kiwano slice.
DARING DESSERT
It’s time to get to the bottom of the crime scene! Whose severed hand was sacrificed for dessert this Halloween? You may never know…Haha. Once again we kid, but this dessert will have your food spread looking like evidence from a crime scene with our severed hand pie recipe! Made with red cactus fruit to replicate an authentic bloody severed hand, this recipe gives you the freedom to create more detail to make your table look like a scene from one of the Saw movies! And with more murderous details, you’ll have more guests doing double takes when walking past the spooky spread you have created!
SEVERED HAND PIES
Makes 2 hand pies
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 2 pkgs. ready-made pie crust
- 1 1/2 cups deep red cactus fruit, small dice
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 F. While the oven is preheating, trace your hand with a toothpick and cut out four hands from the pie crust and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush beaten egg over edges and fingers of one dough hand. Spoon half of pie filling (diced cactus fruit tossed with sugar) in center of one hand. Top with second dough hand, pressing edges of hands together with a fork. Use a pairing knife to create knuckle and fingernail details as desired. Make it look as realistic as you can handle, then brush the surface with lightly beaten egg. Repeat for second hand.
Bake until golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes. Note that filling may ooze slightly – the more blood effect the better. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before serving. Chop in half and serve.
Now that you have all the spooky recipes you’ll need for this season’s Halloween, all you need now is the actual produce! Head to your local grocery store, or melissas.com for any produce items written above! Happy Halloween!
