Spooky Tea Sandwiches for Halloween

By Cara Eisenpress 
on October 28th, 2014
In: Recipes

Boo! That’s the sound of your tea sandwich jumping off the serving board at this Friday’s Halloween cocktail and wine party. Don’t worry, that ricotta-topped ghost won’t really scare you but it might freak out the black bean cats and bats and the hummus-topped pumpkins beside it.

Yes, I’ve taken my love for crostini (just another word for open-faced tea sandwiches) to a spooky level.

See, I’ve long been a proponent of serving a mixed platter of crostini at parties. By including a few different toppings, you’re likely to please everyone. The light eaters can craze, and the hungry folks can treat each morsel like one small plate in a many-plated meal.

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Today, I’ve gone further. I picked up a set of Halloween-themed cookie cutters and used them to turn plain white bread into the base of themed crostini. For toppings, I brainstormed the right colors for each shape: black (black beans) for the cats and bats, white (ricotta and lemon) for the ghosts, and orange (squash hummus) for the pumpkins. Capers, nuts, chives and other fridge staples came to the rescue for eyes and stems and whatnot. Even better, decorating the bread was truly fun, almost as much fun as trick-or-treating.

Halloween Tea Sandwiches by Big Girls Small Kitchen

But not as much fun as hosting an adult-style Halloween party, complete with plenty of wine!

I love these–especially the ricotta ghosts–with a cool glass of K-J AVANT Sauvignon Blanc. And I bet both wine and food will taste best when I’m dressed up to match.

Read on to see how to make Halloween Crostini, and be sure to visit Big Girls, Small Kitchen or follow along on Twitter and Instagram for more accessible and delicious recipes!

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Spooky Halloween Tea Sandwiches

You’ll likely have leftovers of each spread–but they’re delicious served with pita or potato chips, so enjoy the extras! You can make all the spreads up to 2 days in advance.

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Spooky Tea Sandwiches for Halloween
 
Author: 
 
 
 
Serves: 40 Pieces
 
You'll likely have leftovers of each spread--but they're delicious served with pita or potato chips, so enjoy the extras! You can make all the spreads up to 2 days in advance.
Ingredients
  • For the sandwiches
  • 2 loaves of thinly sliced bread (White Pepperidge Farm works great)
  • Assorted small foods for decoration, like capers, sesame seeds, minced chives, and pine nuts
  • 2-inch Halloween-themed cookie cutters (I used pumpkins, cats, bats, and ghosts)
  • For the squash hummus
  • 1 small delicata squash, cut in half with seeds scooped out
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • 1 15-ounce can white beans
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • juice of half a lemon
  • For the black bean dip
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ small shallot
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 chipotle chili, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • For the lemony ricotta
  • 1 cup fresh ricotta
  • juice of half a lemon
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 teaspoons honey
 
Instructions
  1. First, cut the bread into shapes. You can do one or many, depending on your guest count and preferences. Arrange the bread shapes in a single layer on several baking sheets.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toast the bread shapes for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until the bread feels crusty to the touch. Set aside. You can do this a few hours in advance, to save time closer to the party.
  3. Make the squash hummus: Place the squash on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the squash is easily pierced with a fork. Scoop out the flesh and add to a food processor with the white beans, garlic, paprika, turmeric, lemon juice, salt, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Process until very smooth. Adjust the color, adding more paprika and turmeric as needed to make the dip truly orange. Then, adjust the taste, adding salt and lemon juice as needed. Set aside til you're ready to decorate.
  4. Make the black bean dip: Combine all the ingredients plus ¼ of a cup of warm water in a small food processor. Puree until smooth and creamy, then taste for salt and add more if needed. Set aside til you're ready to decorate.
  5. Make the lemony ricotta: In a small mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, lemon, lemon zest, and honey. Set aside til you're ready to decorate.
  6. No more than 1 hour before the party, carefully decorate the bread shapes with the various dips. Cover the pumpkin stems with chives, and use capers or nuts for the eyes on the cats, bats, and ghosts. Arrange on platters and serve! (After a few hours, the bread will get a bit soft, so don't leave these out too long.)
 
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