Anybody else ready for some Halloween fun? Halloween is kind of on the back burner in Germany, though it is rising in popularity. So I need take charge of Halloween by my ghoully own self and get into the spirit by creating a little spine tingling enclave amidst all the boring German normality around me. Bring on the spiderwebs 🕸🕷and giant bats 🦇 and jack o’lanterns 🎃, I am so here for it! And I’m going to start with this Witch‘s Brew Pea Soup.
The creamy pea soup is an absolute delight but what makes this fun are the puff pastry witch’s hands baked right onto the mugs. All you need is store bought puff pastry and a small paring knife. Perfect for a fun dinner party, you can easily double or even triple recipe. Happy Spooky Season, everyone!
Witch’s Brew Pea Soup
Ingredients Puff pastry hands
1 roll frozen puff pastry
3-4 tbsp Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
1 egg, separated
10 Marcona Almonds, halved to look like nails
Needed: 4 oven safe mugs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F (190 C).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the barely thawed puff pastry and use a small paring knife to cut 4 hand shapes out of the sheet. It’s best to measure the inside length of the handle beforehand so you know how wide your hands can be. This makes it less of a struggle getting the hands on the mug. Remove excess puff pastry and discard or use for something else.
Make an egg wash with the egg yolk and 1 tbsp of water.
Brush the egg wash onto the hands.
Drape one hand on each of the mugs. The thumb goes above the handle and the four fingers through the handle. Place the mugs on the baking sheet on their sides with the hands facing up and prop them up with something small and oven safe, like a downturned pinch bowl, so they don’t roll over. Sprinkle the Everything But The Bagel Seasoning all over the hands.
Brush the tips of the fingers with egg white and gently press in the halved Marcona almonds.
Bake according to the package instructions or until golden.
Remove from the oven carefully and let cool without touching the mugs.
While the hands are in the oven, you can make the soup!
Ingredients Pea Soup
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
400 g/14 oz frozen peas
600 ml/20 oz chicken stock (or substitute vegetable stock)
100 ml double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 3–4 minutes, until softened.
Add the frozen peas and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add cream.
Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth and creamy.
When you are ready to serve, ladle the soup into the mugs carefully (the fingers are prone to breaking off, so you really do need to be gentle!).
Swirl a little dollop of double cream on top and sprinkle with some more EBTB seasoning.
Serve immediately.