The Perfect Halloween Recipes

Here are some great recipes to serve in the fall, especially Halloween. Enjoy! (All recipes have been taste-tested to make sure they are as delicious as advertised.)

Curried Pumpkin Soup (From The Modern Proper)

This Curried Pumpkin Soup is great anytime! Even though it uses cubed pumpkin, this soup is smooth and creamy, as well as vegan! It has a great flavor and a good kick from the jalapeno pepper and curry powder. It tastes great with some bread, too. Overall, this is a delicious soup with great flavors to enjoy during the Halloween season.

“Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs sugar pumpkin, seeded, skinned and cubed
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash seeded, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 Onions, finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp Red pepper (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper (more for serving)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup coconut milk (more for serving)
Jalapeño, seeded, sliced (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
Pumpkin seeds (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the pumpkin and butternut squash, if you have a sharp peeler, it actually works quite well to use it to remove the skins from the squash. Cube the pumpkin and squash flesh into 2-3” chunks.
Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy soup pot, sauté onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add the pumpkin, squash, curry, nutmeg, ginger, red pepper, salt and pepper and stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.
Puree the soup in a food processor or blender in small batches.
Once your soup is nice and creamy return it to the pot. Add your coconut milk, additional salt and pepper if needed and warm it back up over medium heat.
Serve with pumpkin seeds, a swirl of extra coconut milk, sliced jalapenos and a little cilantro. Enjoy!”

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake (From Sally’s Baking Addiction)

This is an amazing cheesecake with a great pumpkin flavor and a crunchy ginger crust. It is even better if served with a dollop of whipped cream on top! Be warned, the cheesecake is quite thick and has two layers: a normal layer and a pumpkin layer. Overall, this is an amazing cheesecake to have any time, especially around Halloween!

“Ingredients

Gingersnap Cookie Crust

1 and 1/2 cups (150g) gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger and ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 60g) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

Cheesecake

four 8-ounce blocks (904g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (80g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (227g) pumpkin puree
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the gingersnap cookies into crumbs. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in ginger, cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter until combined. (You can also pulse it all together in the food processor.) Mixture will be sandy. Press firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. No need to grease the pan first. I use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crust down tightly. Pre-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the hot pan on a large piece of aluminum foil. The foil will wrap around the pan for the water bath in step 4. Allow crust to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.
Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, then beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. After the final egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. To help prevent the cheesecake from deflating and cracking as it cools, avoid over-mixing the batter as best you can.
Scoop out 2 cups of batter and place in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Begin adding spoonfuls of each batter, the plain and the pumpkin, on top of the crust. Alternate until all the batter is used and pan is filled. Using a toothpick or knife, swirl the batters together by dragging the toothpick top to bottom, then left to right.
Prepare the simple water bath: Boil a pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. I use an entire kettle of hot water. As the water is heating up, wrap the aluminum foil around the springform pan. Place the pan inside of a large roasting pan. Carefully pour the hot water inside of the pan and place in the oven. (Or you can place the roasting pan in the oven first, then pour the hot water in. Whichever is easier for you.)
(Note: if you notice the cheesecake browning too quickly on top, tent it with aluminum foil halfway through baking.) Bake cheesecake for 55-70 minutes or until the center is almost set. When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour as it cools down. Remove cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Add toppings, if desired. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean and dip into warm water between each slice.
Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.”

LUKE FANN

Editor at The City Voice

Luke Fann, a freshman, began his journalism journey in seventh grade and became an editor by eighth grade. He frequently writes about Current Events, Games & Hobbies, and Fiction. He also received the 2023 Sparty Award for his work in MIPA's Journalistic Storytelling Workshop.