Halloween Treats with Chef aarika & Chef Jenna

Chef Aarika and Chef Jenna appeared on Colorado & Company to talk Halloween treats for all ages! Catch the video and then try out these delicious recipes.

Seared Scallops with Squid Ink Pasta and Lemongrass Charred Onion Pesto

Lemongrass Charred Onion Pesto
1 Tbsp lemongrass
1/2 cup peanuts
2 green onions, charred on grill plate
1 bunch cilantro
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. ponzu
Dash of chili flakes
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil (approximately)

Place all ingredients (except olive oil) into food processor and slowly add the oil. Pulse until the pesto is a smooth consistency.

Seared Turmeric Scallops
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. orange food dye
1 cup olive oil (plus more for searing)
8 medium to large sea scallops
10 oz box of squid ink spaghetti or linguini

Mix turmeric, food dye, and olive oil. Pour over scallops and marinate for 2 hours.

When you are ready to prepare, cook squid ink pasta according to package instructions.

Preheat a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

In the meantime, pat the scallops very dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the sea scallops with salt and pepper, to season.

When the pan is hot, add the oil, then drop in your scallops, giving them enough room in between so they don’t steam each other. Cook the scallops for 2 minutes, making sure not to move them or touch them at all. Flip the scallops over with a pair of tongs and add the butter to the pan. Let the scallops cook for 1 more minute.

In a bowl place a serving of squid ink pasta and toss with Pesto. Top with Sea Scallops. Serves 4.

Chef Aarika’s BOO-OOZY Cocktail

2 oz. Crown Royal Apple
2 oz. Apple Pucker
Club soda
Splash of Pandon
Dry ice for “fog”

Mix together Crown Royal Apple and Apple Pucker then top with club soda. Carefully place a small piece of dry ice into drink. Do not touch or drink the cocktail until the dry ice dissolves completely.

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Chef Jenna’s Poisoned Caramel apples

1 cup butter
1 lb. brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 15oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp green powdered food coloring

10 red delicious apples

Melt butter in a tall sauce pan over medium high heat. Add sugar and salt and stir to combine. Add corn syrup and continue to stir until no streaks remain. Slowly add milk while stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until it reaches 245˚F. Remove from heat and add the coloring and vanilla. Peirce each apple with a popsicle stick. Holding it by the stick, carefully dip each apple into the caramel, then tap off any excess. Decorate as desired and allow to set at room temperature until completely cool.

Chef Jenna’s Spooky Halloween Hand pies

For the Crust
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 cup butter, cold, cut into small pieces
6-8 Tbsp. water, cold

In a food processor, combine the flour butter and salt. Pulse the ingredients until the butter breaks down into small pea sized pieces. Add the water, and pulse until a shaggy ball of dough starts to form. Dump the contents onto your work surface and knead by hand until the dough is smooth. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Remove the dough form the fridge and allow it to warm up slightly. Roll out the dough into a 1/8” thick sheet. Using a cookie cutter, cut out circle shapes.

Chocolate Cherry Brandy Pie Filling
3 lb. bag of frozen cherries
1 cup sugar
2 oz. brandy
Juice of one lemon
2-4 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 cup chocolate chips plus extra for decorating

In a large pot combine the cherries amd sugar. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Stir to combine.
Bring to a low boil over medium high heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherry begin to wrinkle and
burst. Blend everything with an Emerson blender until smooth. Add the brandy and lemon juice, stir to combine. In a separate cup, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Add cornstarch slurry to cherries and stir thoroughly. Continue to simmer until thickened. You may need to add more cornstarch. Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool. You may mix the chocolate chips in once cooled, or simply sprinkle them on top of the cherry filling once we assemble the hand pies.

Maple Brown Sugar Pie Filling
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 Tbsp. maple syrup
4 Tbsp. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mixture should be tacky but not runny.

Flour your table and roll out pie dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut into desired shapes and arrange the hand pie halves on a lined baking sheet. Gently fill each hand pie half with prepared fillings leaving 1/2" boarder around edge of pie. Egg wash the dough boarder. Gently sandwich another hand pie half on top. Compress the outer edge to seal (either with fingers or a fork). Once each hand pie is sealed, lightly poke a few small holes in each hand pie with a fork. Egg wash the tops and bake at 375F for 15-20 min or until golden brown. Let cool completely and then decorate as desired.