A Dark and Scary Halloween (with the Recipe to Boot)

By Jen Smith
October 19, 2011

At first I thought I had made some sort of awkward social gaff when I asked Dimity Jones for a few Halloween recipe ideas. Jones, the voice of Three to One (a blog beloved by Saveur magazine) and an art director for food shoots, seemed the perfect candidate to share some spooky recipes. But she just looked at me and blinked silently.

Dimity Jones

Three to One homepage

Dimity Jones

I quickly realized that the Australian born Jones (who became an American citizen this past August) simply hadn't grown up with the Halloween tradition. A few moments later, however, once my request sunk in, she characteristically rallied to the cause, proposing two tweaked cocktail classics she suggests as an alternative to candy. “When the kids are jacked up on sweets, you want to have a real drink! Maybe one to get you on your way, and the other after the kids are tucked in.” The recipes she concocted exclusively for The Inside Source—a "Green Eyed Bloody Mary" with Old Bay Sea Salt and a "Dark and Scary" (made with ginger beer and Jamaican rum)—will indeed have us eschewing bonbons for the bar. (Both recipes are listed below.)

(photo of Dimity Jones, at left, by Ben Baker)

“I have to admit I did not take Halloween on until my son was born, when I had to embrace the Halloween custom,” said Jones, whose son is now seven. "I still don’t think I have the costume thing down—somehow I am always an inanimate object and function as a backdrop to my son’s get-up. This year my son will be a train conductor and I am going to be an L train!” she says.

Jones, who spent over 20 years in design at publications like Lucky and Allure, launched her much-lauded blog in the summer of 2010. With an eye for beautiful imagery, endless creativity and a passion for food, she has grown her site to showcase not only recipes, but also restaurants, from secret finds to specialties of the house and notable chefs.

Jones also often calls on her foodie friends to join her in her culinary adventures and to contribute to her blog. One of her favorite recurring stories is the adorable group of posts, “What Charlie Ate,” in which her friend, L.A. based photographer Ari Michelson, documents his daughter’s developing tastes.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie, from “Four and Twenty Blackbirds”: Jones recommends serving this recipe and the one below for desert on Halloween night. (photo by Dimity Jones; recipe by Four and Twenty Black birds in Brooklyn)

Beet Semifreddo (photo by Dimity Jones; recipe inspired by a recipe by Jean Marie and Juliette Baudic for “Beet Parfaits” that appeared in Gourmet magazine, October 2007.)

As for October 31st, in addition to the drinks she shared here, she suggests doctoring up a rotisserie chicken pre- trick-or-treating. “One of my signature meals is from a recipe I borrowed from Spanish chef Ferran Adria of the famed El Bulli in Barcelona. “It tastes like a restaurant dish!” Jones says. “It’s so easy and feels very autumnal.” For dessert she suggests two decadent dishes from her blog: One is a salted caramel apple pie and the other, a sultry red beet semifreddo. “We’ve all seen the punch bowls with floating eyeballs, haven’t we? Personally, I would rather have something unexpectedly decadent to enjoy on Halloween!”

Green Eyed Bloody Mary with Old Bay Sea Salt

Photograph © Andrew Purcell, Food Styling Carrie Purcell, Art Direction: Dimity Jones

1.5 large stalks celery
36 ounce can of good tomato juice
2 tablespoons of bottled horseradish
3 tablespoons of the juice from a jar of green olives.
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper.
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons of Tabasco.
Vodka to taste.
Old Bay Seasoning and Green Olives for garnish

Put the sliced sticks of celery into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients (except the vodka and tomato juice). Add a 1/4 of the tomato juice into the food processor and then mix everything till finely pulped. Pour the contents of the food processor into a pitcher and add the remaining tomato juice. Stir. Add the vodka to taste, and chill. Smear the leftover squeezed lemon around the rim of the glass, and roll the empty glass in a dish of Old Bay Seasoning. Fill the glasses up with the tomato mixture and throw in a few green olives for fun. I like my Bloody Marys serve chilled, with no ice.

Dark and Scary

Photograph © Andrew Purcell, Food Styling Carrie Purcell, Art Direction: Dimity Jones

Best ginger beer you can find.

Dark Jamaican rum

Limes

Fill a glass with ice cubes, pour over Ginger beer till 3/4's full. Add a squeeze of a quarter lime. Pour in the top dark Jamaican rum slowly, and watch it seep down. Stir and drink.

Below Jones shares her food blogger essentials. “It’s a part time gig for me, and I love that I can find all my gear on eBay—from makeup to a camera to authentic cook wear—all for amazing prices!”

Roll over items for details

Old Vintage Green Shutter Chalkboard

(buy it now price, $74.99)

Vintage Dehillerin Hammered Copper Stockpot French

Sharpie Ultra Fine Assorted Sharpies

(buy it now price, $21.99)

Hermes Yellow Leather Agenda Cover Notebook

Thick Army Military Dylan Nerd Emo Indie Glasses

(buy it now price, $7.99)

Yves Saint Laurent Pure Lipstick

(buy it now price, $39.48)

Seven Vintage Wood Wooden Spoons Primitive Farm Pantry

(buy it now price, $18)

Vintage Polaroid 160 Land Rangefinder Camera

(starting bid, $39.99)

Beaneaters & Bread Soup

(buy it now price, $11.34)

A Dark and Scary Halloween (with the Recipe to Boot)

1. Old Vintage Green Shutter Chalkboard: Jones loves to write notes, grocery lists, and menu ideas down on old school chalkboards.

2. Vintage Dehillerin Hammered Copper Stockpot French: “It’s such a pleasure to cook with beautiful copper, even if it’s only one pot,” said Jones. “I have one right now that I bought at a flea market for five bucks. Someone else wanted it and was willing to pay more, but when the seller saw how much I wanted it and that I would take good care of it, she gave it to me for the cheaper price. It was her mother’s and she wanted it to go to a good home.”

3. Sharpie Ultra Fine Assorted Sharpies: “I love the feel of Sharpies on thick paper,” Jones said. “The bright colors are so happy and I can leave notes for my son in his school lunch box in pink or purple, his favorite colors.”

4. Hermes Yellow Leather Agenda Cover Notebook: Jones is never without her “dog-eared and often ripped” notebook where she scribbles thoughts and notes on food, recipes, things she sees and things that inspire her.

5. Thick Army Military Dylan Nerd Emo Indie Glasses: “I can't see for crap, so I've worn glasses since I was 12. I like that these frames double as a fashion accessory. Lipstick and glasses and I'm good to go,” says Jones.

6. Yves Saint Laurent Pure Lipstick: This is the only lipstick Jones owns. “One quick application and I’m good to go—especially right before the guests arrive after I’ve been cooking all day!”

7. Seven Vintage Wood Wooden Spoons Primitive Farm Pantry: Jones collects old wooden spoons whenever she finds them. “These are worn in beautifully and have a lot of life left… and they are a great price!”

8. Vintage Polaroid 160 Land Rangefinder Camera: Even though Jones owns a Polaroid 1200 sl, she is considering buying another Polaroid. “Provided I could find film for it, this one would not just look good on my shelf; I know it would take amazing arty photos I could scan and post on my blog.”

9. Beaneaters & Bread Soup : “My favorite book! Jason Lowe’s shots are beautiful and Lori’s writing is informative and transporting. It’s about small artisan producers in Tuscany. You feel like you can live, feel, and breathe in their honey, cheeses or risotto just by looking at the pages.”

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