Chef Michael Gilligan: Spooky Witches Fingers

Chef Michael Gilligan: Spooky Witches Fingers: "GILLIGAN’S GOURMET One thing I like to do for fun on Halloween and you can try this too, is before bobbing for apples at your local Hallowe..."

Spooky Witches Fingers

GILLIGAN’S GOURMET
One thing I like to do for fun on Halloween and you can try this too, is before bobbing for apples at your local Halloween carnival or at a friend’s party, fill your mouth brimming full with ketchup. When underwater, discharge the goo, then frantically jerk your head up out of the water screaming, "Razor! Razor!"
{Makes sound like crazed person laughing…. Muahaahahahaaaa!}

SPOOKY WITCHES FINGERS
Ingredients1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole almonds
1 (.75 ounce) tube red decorating gel

MethodCombine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer; gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, continually beating; refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie.

Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles.

You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.

AND FINALLY…….
TEN REASONS WHY TRICK OR TREATING IS BETTER THAN SEX
10) You are guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack.
9) If you get tired, you can wait 10 minutes and go at it again.
8) The uglier you look; the easier it is to get some.
7) You don't have to compliment the person who gives you some.
6) Its O.K. when the person you're with fantasizes you're someone else, because you are.
5) Forty years from now you'll still enjoy candy.
4) If you don't like what you get, you can always go next door.
3) It doesn't matter if the kids hear you moaning and groaning.
2) Less guilt the morning after.
1) YOU CAN DO THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD

Scare you later,
CHEF GILLIGAN

Chef Michael Gilligan: Scream Cookies for Halloween

Chef Michael Gilligan: Scream Cookies for Halloween: "It is only 4 days until Halloween so I am going to give you a head start with this recipe as it is a little more challenging than my usual..."

Scream Cookies for Halloween

It is only 4 days until Halloween so I am going to give you a head start with this recipe as it is a little more challenging than my usual stuff. This might a bit more work but the results are stunning. I make these at the W Hotel here in South Beach during the halloween week for the front desk as a welcoming amenity for our guests and they go down a treat.

Did you know that Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday? No? What else don’t you know about Halloween?
Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Holloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.
Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.


SCREAMING SPICE COOKIES
Yield 20 cookies

INGREDIENTS
Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling out dough
¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon fine salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Icing: Hard candies, try yellow, red, black, (Jolly Ranchers preferred)
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons egg white powder
3/4 teaspoon orange extract
1 ½ to 2 cups confectioners' sugar
Lollipop sticks, available in craft or bakers' supply stores
1 empty metal tuna fish can, (about 6 ounces) for cutting cookies {Remove the top and bottom of the tuna can and discard. Wash and dry well. Pinch the sides of the can together to make a skull-like shape}

METHODFor the cookies: Whisk the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Beat the butter in a large bowl with a handheld mixer until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the sugars, and continue beating until light, about 3 minutes.
Add egg and vanilla extract, beating until smooth.
Gradually add the dry ingredients while mixing slowly to make a smooth dough. Divide dough in half and press each half into a disk
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Transfer 1 disk of dough to a floured work surface and roll about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into cookies with a pinched tuna can.

Transfer cookies with an offset spatula to a nonstick or silicon lined baking sheet.

Cut out eyes and a mouth with a pastry tip, fat straw, or a knife. Press the lollipop sticks into the narrow end of each cookie, if using. Repeat with remaining dough. Press excess dough together, roll and cut into cookies. Refrigerate cookies for at least 30 minutes

Evenly space the racks in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Put the candies in a small plastic bag and hit with a rolling pin to break into little pieces.

Bake the cookies just until they are set, about 20 minutes. Remove baking sheets from the oven and carefully sprinkle the broken candies into the eyes and mouth of the cookies.
Continue to cook until the candy Liquefies, about 3 minutes more.
Cool cookies on pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool cookies on a rack.

For the icing: Whisk the water, egg white powder and orange extract in a medium bowl until foamy but smooth.
Gradually whisk in the confectioners' sugar to make a smooth icing. Spread a layer of icing over the entire surface of the cookies with the back of a teaspoon.

Let rest until the icing sets, about 30 minutes. Serve or store in a covered container for up to 3 days.

AND FINALLY… Q: Why don't witches wear panties?
A: To get a better grip on their brooms!

Columbus Day Veal Piccata

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
Tomorrow on Oct. 11, 518 years later, banks are closed and there's no mail.

To many, Christopher Columbus Day is nothing more than the cap on a three-day weekend in October. But to the Italian-American community, this holiday has been a 500-year fight to get recognized. Everyone knows that in 1492 Columbus first felt the soil of the New World, but there are not nearly as many people that realize the history of the holiday since that fateful landing.

It is believed that the anniversary (Oct. 12) of Columbus reaching San Salvador in Central America was first formally celebrated by the Society of St. Tammany (also known as the Colombian Order) in New York City in 1792,when they held a dinner in his honor. At that time, New York was the first place to erect a statue of Columbus.

It was about this time that the name of Columbus was becoming heralded throughout America. Many institutions began changing their name out of respect to the explorer. New York's King's College changed its name to Columbia and the nation's capital was named the District of Columbia.

In 1866, the Italian population of New York organized the first mass celebration. Growing efforts were being made by groups to have Columbus Day declared a national holiday, most notably by the first Catholic fraternal order, the Knights of Columbus, which was organized in 1882.

The Knights of Columbus, who have been involved in Jersey City's Columbus Day parade since its beginnings in 1950, is now an international society with 1.5 million members and more than 10,000 councils. Their motto is to uphold the ideals of Columbianism: "charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism."

The quadricentennial of Columbus' arrival did the most to raise the awareness of Columbus Day around the country. President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation appointing that day as "... a holiday for the people of the United States ... to express honor to the discoverer, and their appreciation of the great achievements of four completed centuries of American life."

This anniversary also brought about the building of Columbus Circle at the southwest corner of Central Park in New York, accompanied by a statue.

The Knights of Columbus kept lobbying states to make it a legal holiday, and in 1909 New York was the first state to sign it into law. The first government-supported Columbus Day was celebrated with a massive parade in Columbus Circle, and had replicas of Columbus' ships sailing in New York Harbor. It was that year that New Jersey joined in by legalizing the holiday.

In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt urged a nationwide observance of Columbus Day, and in 1937, he proclaimed every Oct. 12 as Columbus Day. In 1971, President Nixon declared it a federal public holiday on the second Monday in October.

Columbus Day is now observed in all but nine states. In three states it is known as Discovery Day and in Michigan it is known as Landing Day. Oct. 12 is also celebrated as Columbus Day in some parts of Canada, in Puerto Rico, in Central and South American countries and in Italy and Spain.
Back in 2010 we are going to make veal Piccata to celebrate.

Veal Piccata
4 servings.

Ingredients
½ cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 veal scallops, about 3/4 pound, pounded to a thickness of 1/8-inch
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken stock
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 lemon, juiced, or more to taste, (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoon capers, drained
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves, optional, plus sprigs for garnish

Method
In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and pepper and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the veal scallops in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and, working quickly and in batches if necessary, cook the veal until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Deglaze the pan with wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock, chopped garlic, lemon juice and capers and cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter and the chopped parsley. When the butter has melted, return the veal scallops to the pan and cook until heated through and the sauce has thickened, about 1 minute. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve immediately.

AND FINALLY…

How did Christopher Columbus finance his trip to America?

With the Discover Card of course!