Edible Blood Sucking Chocolate Tarantulas With Raspberry Coulis Blood Food

EDIBLE BLOOD-SUCKING CHOCOLATE TARANTULAS WITH RASPBERRY COULIS BLOOD

Steps:

• For the caramel: Place the unopened can of condensed milk in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 4 hours, keeping the water level constantly above the top of the can. Remove from the pan and allow to cool for 30 minutes before opening. Cool to room temperature (about 70 degrees).
• For the coconut paste: Mix all of the ingredients together, stirring well using a wooden spoon. Reserve half (for closing the holes later). Roll the paste into 12 (1 1/2-inch) balls for the spider bodies and 12 (3/4-inch) balls for the spider heads. Make a 3/4-inch hole in the center of the larger balls. Place the condensed milk/caramel into a piping bag and fill the hole. Seal the top by adding more coconut paste, enclosing the caramel.
• To assemble: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt 1 pound 13 ounces chocolate slowly in a double boiler to 100 degrees (slightly warmer than body temperature). Add the caramel oil and stir gently. Stir in the coconut, giving the chocolate a hairy appearance. Enrobe the spider bodies and heads in the melted chocolate. Join the head and body together before the chocolate sets. Place on the prepared baking sheet and put in the refrigerator to set completely, about 10 minutes.
• Melt the remaining 3 ounces chocolate and place into a piping bag. Cut a hole in the point of the piping bag to the size of a number 2 piping tip. Pipe 56 (1 1/2-inch) long and 24 (1-inch) long z-shaped spider legs onto the parchment. Allow the legs to set at room temperature. (Do not refrigerate or the legs will curl unnaturally.)
• Remove the spiders from the refrigerator. Using a dot of melted chocolate, attach the legs to the body, 4 long legs to the side of the body and 2 short legs to the front of the head. Pipe chocolate stripes onto the body. Pipe 2 eyes onto the head and, while wet, sprinkle edible gold sparkle onto the eyes.
• Place 2 tablespoons Rasberry Coulis on the center of each plate to represent blood. Serve the spiders on pools of Raspberry Coulis.
• Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves completely, about 5 minutes. Put the raspberries and the sugar syrup in a blender and puree, pulsing for 6 second intervals. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Stir in the lemon juice.

WITCHES FINGER COOKIES IN RASPBERRY COULIS

Steps:

• Raspberry Coulis:
• Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the rack to the center position. Dust the work surface with flour. Place the dough on the table and dust with flour. With a rolling pin, work the dough, rolling back and forth. After 3 rolls, stop and move the dough around (you don't want it to stick to the work surface). Dust with additional flour and continue to roll until it is 1/2-inch thick. Cut out as many finger shapes as you can, gathering ad rerolling scraps as necessary. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
• Icing: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add egg whites all at once. Combine with a rubber spatula until smooth. Divide the confectioners' sugar between 4 to 6 small bowls. Add drops of food coloring to each bowl, creating different colors. If you find the icing to be on the thick side (unspreadable), adjust with tiny drops of water.
• Apply the icing as desired to make witches fingers.
• Raspberry Coulis: In a medium-sized saucepot over medium heat, combine 12 ounces of the raspberries, orange zest, water, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook for an additional 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and puree with a handheld mixer. Strain into desired small bowl. Add the remaining 4 ounces of fresh raspberries. Serve with Witches Fingers Cookies.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and reserve. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and soften by hand. Add the sugar and continue to blend with hands or a rubber spatula for 2 minutes, until the mixture resembles light yellow-colored mashed potatoes. Transfer to a mixer.
• Crack the eggs, 1 at a time, into the butter mixture and combine until well-blended. Add tha vanilla extract. Add the sifted flour mixture and continue to blend for 2 to 3 minutes until a dough is formed. Remove dough from the mixer and divide in half. Place 1/2 of the dough back into the mixer. On low speed, add the cocoar powder and continue to mix until you have a chocolate dough. Wrap both doughs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and reserve. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and soften by hand. Add the sugar and continue to blend with hands or a rubber spatula for 2 minutes, until the mixture resembles light yellow-colored mashed potatoes. Transfer to a mixer. Crack the eggs, 1 at a time, into the butter mixture and combine until well-blended. Add tha vanilla extract. Add the sifted flour mixture and continue to blend for 2 to 3 minutes until a dough is formed. Remove dough from the mixer and divide in half. Place 1/2 of the dough back into the mixer. On low speed, add the cocoar powder and continue to mix until you have a chocolate dough. Wrap both doughs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. ;
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck .

CHOCOLATE BLOOD CREMEUX AND CHICHACHURROS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill over medium-high heat.
• Place the gelatin in a bowl of cold water to bloom; set aside until ready to add to the mixture, about 20 minutes. Grill the cinnamon stick until it starts to unroll and has a nice flavor of smoke, a minute or two; this adds so much depth to the dish.
• In a mixing bowl set over a simmering double boiler, combine the cream, milk, granulated sugar, nutmeg, salt, pepper, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Cook, until everything is starting to become warm, then add the pork blood. Bring the mixture to 145 degrees F; it will start to thicken at this point. Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl, then whisk in a thin stream of the hot milk mixture until it's loose, about the texture of cream. Remove from the heat and whisk the yolk mixture back into the bowl of hot milk and let cool to 140 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, set up an ice bath and set aside.
• Add the chocolate to a large metal bowl that will rest on top of the ice bath later. Strain the blood-milk mixture through a chinois or fine mesh sieve over the chocolate, discarding the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Drain the gelatin, then squeeze it dry and add to the chocolate bowl. Blend the mixture with a stick blender until smooth and all the chocolate is dissolved. Immediately place the metal bowl on the ice bath and stir to cool down quickly. Cover the top with plastic wrap, pressing gently onto the surface of the pudding and gently smoothing it, then chill in the refrigerator until set, about 3 hours.
• Spoon a large scoop, or quenelle, of the pudding onto each plate. Top each plate with some Chichachurros and serve.
• Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Remove to a bowl and let cool. Grind finely, then set aside.
• Sprinkle the pig skin liberally on both sides with the salt and granulated sugar, then lay it in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. In a cheesecloth sachet, wrap the bay leaves, vanilla beans and seeds and lemon being sure to tie it tightly, and place it in the pan. Add the white wine. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the skin is tender, about 2 hours. (Check its doneness by tearing the skin with your hands; it should have just the slightest bit of resistance.)
• Lay the skin out in a single layer on parchment-lined sheet trays to cool in the fridge until very firm, about 2 hours. Using a bench scraper, remove all the fat from the bottom of the skin. Score the skin, then cut into strips about as long and as thick as a pencil using a serrated pair of scissors or a pasta wheel with serrations. Dehydrate, either in a dehydrator or in the oven with just the pilot light on and the fan running, until dry and brittle, 24 to 36 hours. (At this point, the skin may be stored for weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, with a silica gel pack if available.)
• Stir together the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and ground fennel in a bowl.
• Preheat a deep-fryer or a large pot with several inches of oil to 375 degrees F.
• Fry a few pieces of skin at a time, just until puffed. (Be sure not to let them get golden brown, as pure white is what you're aiming for.) Remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. To finish, dust with the confectioners' sugar mixture.