This Halloween, pair your frightening films with thematic feasts

By the time Halloween finally rolls around, you may already be too sleep deprived, hungover, and in desperate need of a real meal from the fallout of “Halloweekend,” to go out to another bar or party. Not to mention that you probably have classes or work come Wednesday morning. 

For those who are looking for a cozier night this Tuesday, here are some horror, cult classics, and comforting movies; each paired with a thematically inspired meal.

Starting off with a classic: “The Shining”

Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece fails to lose its simple charm—or its possibilities for last minute costumes—year after year. Isolating, unnerving, and visually stunning, a story of haunted architecture and family horror, “The Shining” will always make the Halloween watchlist.

A classic movie deserves a classic meal: A ribeye steak with potatoes. This meal will channel the Colorado mountain resort in the ’70s; extra points if you can serve it on a rolling cart with a metal room service plate. For the steak, choose a bone-in ribeye for more flavor, and cook to medium rare (anything else is psychotic). For a truly restaurant-quality steak at home, try the reverse sear method which requires cooking the steak on low in the oven to the perfect temperature before searing it on the stove top. For the potatoes, go simple, so you can focus on the outcome of your steak (potatoes always taste good). Oven roast them with whole cloves of garlic, plenty of salt, and some thyme. 

Pair it with a “RedRum” cocktail: Dark rum with cherry coke and maraschino cherry syrup for a blood-red color. 

“The Shining” meal: Ribeye and Potatoes using Kenji Lopez-Alt’s Reverse seared steak technique. 

Serves two

For the steak:

• Bone-in ribeye steak 1 ½ inch or thicker
• 1 Tbsp.s butter
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and Pepper

For the Potatoes:

• ½ lb. small potatoes
• 5 cloves garlic
• Sprig of thyme
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Start by washing the potatoes and cutting them into 1-inch cubes, leaving the skin on. 
3. Peel your garlic cloves, leaving them whole. Toss the potatoes and garlic in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and nestle in the thyme. 
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes, allowing the potatoes to brown.
5. Turn the oven off, leaving the potatoes in to keep warm. You want to wait until the oven is cooled to 250 degrees before turning it back on for the steak. If you do not have a thermometer, wait at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. Season the steak with salt and pepper on both sides.
7. Place the steak in the oven on a wire rack if you have one for increased air circulation. (If you do not have a wire rack and are comfortable with the varying cleanliness of your oven, place the steak directly on the oven racks)
8. Check the temperature of the steak often with a meat thermometer. Internal cooking can take anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on the thickness of the steak. Remove from the oven when the temperature reads 115 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare.
9. Right before the steak comes out of the oven, add one Tbsp. of oil to a cast iron skillet over high heat, until the oil begins to smoke. (Open any windows and turn on any fans because once the steak goes in it will get very smokey.)
10. Remove the potatoes from the oven to cool, and using tongs, place the steak into the pan and add the butter at the same time. Sear on both sides until brown, about 45 seconds per side, including the edges. 
11. Serve while warm.

For the wacky and surreal: “House” 

“House”, or “Hausu”, is a Japanese surrealist comedy horror film from 1977 that has garnered quite a cult following. “House” is absurd to the point of confusion. Fear seeps through the cracks of the bizarre, crude, and hysterical special effects, turning laughter into horror subtly under your nose. It’s the story of Gorgeous, a girl searching for a connection with her deceased mother. Relentlessly packed with symbolism at each frame, too chaotic to unpack, “House” is the irrational part of the horror genre on acid, and a must-see.

When Gorgeous and her friends arrive at her aunt’s house, they bring with them a watermelon, which becomes the source of a few… let’s call them hallucinations for the sake of spoilers. So, our pairing for this film is watermelon salad, with a Japanese flavor palate including shiso leaf, cucumber, and sesame. For added thematics you can add peeled lychee to resemble a certain body part from said hallucinations.

“House” watermelon salad: based on Sylvia Fountaine’s Watermelon Shiso Salad

Serves two

Ingredients:

• 1 medium watermelon 
• 4 mini cucumbers
• 2 scallions
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 3 Shiso leaves 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 Lychee 

For the dressing:

• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. yuzu juice
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ tsp. finely minced garlic

1. Cube the watermelon and cucumber into substantial bite-sized uniform pieces.
2. Peel and halve the lychees 
3. Roughly chop the cilantro, scallions, and shiso leaves. 
4. Mince the garlic and add the lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and yuzu juice to a jar with a lid, and shake until emulsified.
5. Gently toss the ingredients together with the dressing, and serve. 

A meal and a musical: “Little Shop of Horrors”

“Little Shop of Horrors” — while not quite a horror or a Halloween movie — is still a beloved part-alien invasion part-love story musical, and great to watch on Halloween. Magnificent practical effects and puppetry bring this cult classic alive. “Feed me Seymore!”

While Audrey II, the carnivorous alien plant at the center of the movie drinks blood, we will be going vegetarian for this one to give her a taste of her own medicine: Leeks vinaigrette, a classic french dish with an addition of sauteed asparagus and toast to dip. Vegetable-centered yet flavorful and juicy, this dish is a delicious and simple recipe but looks beautiful when arranged well on a plate. 

Add edible nasturtiums and a glass of light red wine for an even more thematic look. 

“Little Shop of Horrors” Leeks Vinaigrette with asparagus and toast.

Serves two

Ingredients:

• 3 large leeks
• 1 shallot
• ½ garlic clove
• 1 Tbsp. sherry or red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. grain mustard
• ½ tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
• ¼ tsp. sugar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. Sherry wine or red wine

1. Boil salted water in a large pot. Trim off root ends and dark green ends of leeks so only the white and light green tender parts remain. Remove the outer layer if it is tough, be gentle to keep the sections whole.
2. Soak leeks in cold water for 5 minutes to remove dirt. Wash asparagus and snap tough ends off.
3. Boil leeks for 15-20 minutes until tender and a knife easily slides through the middle. Remove from the pot and let cool on a paper towel.
4. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Then, using the same boiling water, blanch the asparagus for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to an ice bath and let cool.
5. Mince the garlic and finely chop the shallot and thyme. Whisk in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp. of the vinegar, both mustards, and sugar. Slowly whisk in oil and 1Tbp. Water.
6. Place a large dollop of yogurt on a plate as a resting place for the leeks. Cut the leeks lengthwise and arrange cut side up, on top of the yogurt. Pour the vinaigrette on the leeks and let marinate for at least 10 minutes. 
7. Place a skillet or cast iron on the stove on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add in asparagus moving around with tongs until they have browned slightly, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low, and add 1 Tbsp. Sherry wine and 1 Tbsp. water. Shake the pan aggressively to coat the asparagus for about 10 seconds, then turn off the heat and add 1 Tbsp. Butter. 
8. Arrange asparagus along with leeks. Toast desired number of pieces of bread and serve. 

Found Footage Horror: “The Blair Witch Project”

One of the scariest and defining films of its genre “The Blair Witch Project” feeds on panic and the fear of what you cannot see. Many people left the theaters upon its release in 1999, believing the story of the lost campers searching for the legend of the Blair witch was true. No found footage film since has captured the same minimal and uncanny terror that this film leaves with you. 

While watching this film, stick with snacks rather than a meal. You don’t want to fill up beforehand so you have room to shovel snacks into your mouth, in order to distract yourself from the suspense. To stay on theme, stick to camping foods. Create a plate with various hard cheeses, crackers, apples, bread and butter, chocolate, and trail mix. Be wary to not immerse yourself too heavily in the camping theme or things may get scary. 

For the sweeter tooth: “Coco”

Last, but not least, for a slightly early celebration of Dia De Los Muertos, watch the beloved Disney movie “Coco.” Instead of something frightening, “Coco” is a heartwarming tale of a young boy from Mexico who travels on an adventure to the land of the dead. Colorful and magical, it is bound to be a cheery and a little tearful watch. 

While there are so many delicious traditional Dia De Los Muertos foods, Pan De Muerto is a great sweet to eat while watching “Coco.” Bake beforehand and serve warm with some Mexican hot chocolate(Ibbara brand is great), and your favorite snacks.

“Coco” Pan de Muerto: Recipe from Mely Martínez

Makes two large loaves of bread

Ingredients:

• 500 grams / 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 100 grams sugar
• 80 grams room temperature butter
• 80 grams unsalted margarine
• 4 large eggs
• Orange zest from 2 oranges
• 60 ml. lukewarm water
• 1 tsp. Orange blossom water
• Sugar for decoration

1. Combine 4 of the eggs, margarine, salt, and half the sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment or a spatula work together the mixture for about 2 minutes, then begin slowly adding the flower a cup at a time, alternating with adding in the warm water. Add the yeast and stir until combined.
2. Add in the butter, orange zest, rest of the butter, and orange water one at a time, mixing in between. If you do not have orange water, double the zest. 
3. Pull the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Coat the interior of a large bowl with butter or margarine and transfer dough into the bowl, covering with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour until it doubles in size.
4. Once it has risen, transfer the dough back to the floured working surface and remove a small amount for decorative designs later if you so please. Prepare two greased baking sheets, and form the bread. For large loaves cut the dough in half forming two large round balls. To decorate with the skull and crossbones, roll the set aside dough into four logs and two small balls. 
5. Whisk remaining egg with one tablespoon of water for the wash. Using a pastry brush or your hands, brush the large loaves with the mixture, then lay on the logs, two on each loaf creating an X which will be the bones. Push down on the sides and middle to secure, and add the small ball at the crossing of the bones as the skull. Brush on a bit more egg wash on the decorations.
6. Place the formed dough on the baking sheets and cover with plastic wrap, allowing to rise once again until the dough has doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
7. Brush the remaining egg wash with a pinch of salt before placing in the oven.
8. Cook for about 35 minutes, until the tops and bottoms become golden brown. If they are browning fast, cover with tin foil after they have browned sufficiently.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool, then brush with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sugar.