Halloween in Clifton

Wednesday 31 October

We thought we'd introduce our Tytus scholars, Ute and Patrick, to the American tradition of Halloween, with Lauren and Zac along to experience the Cincinnati twist on the holiday.  Halloween is a big thing around here, and though the weather was dreary, chill, and drizzly, some stalwart trick-or-treaters soon appeared.  The most stalwart was a boy being towed in a wagon by his parents: he'd broken his leg, but he wasn't going to miss a Clifton Halloween.  For him, we brought the treats (kit cats, three musketeers, Heath bars) down to the sidewalk, though for the most part we doled them out from the porch.  And to comfort the parents, Holt (in full pirate regalia) brewed up some hot cider with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove - plus a tot of rum ad lib - in the Canadian Tire crockpot, and he and Zac ladled it out for those in the mood for it.

Some appetizers (and wine, of course) held the treaters' bodies and souls together during the two hour treatfest.  We made up some savory salmon spread, of half a container of Taku smoked king salmon from Alaska (thanks again, Andi and Joel!) beaten into an 8-ounce bar of cream cheese and about 2 Tbsp. worth of butter pats, seasoned with white pepper, to smear on crisp crackers.  We also roasted a pound of halved tiny fingerling potatoes with oil and salt, and dipped them into drained plain yogurt topped with big (for caviar) popping orange salmon roe, again from Taku.  There were also tortilla chips to dip into David Warda's salsa roja, a ripe Canadian brie, sliced salami made with white wine, mixed olives, and the last of the garden sungold tomatoes.

Once the treating ended at 8 PM, we were more than ready to sit down to a very American dinner of baked acorn squash stuffed with Bare's sausage (or in Lauren's case, portobello mushrooms), breadcrumbs, and chopped pecans, topped with the required streusel and broiled until brown.

Our wines were Four Vines red, some of our treasured Featherstone new vines merlot from Canada, and a precious bottle of Paradigm from Napa (courtesy of beloved brother in law David). 

With all those appetizers, there was little else necessary but something sweet for dessert.  Fair Ridge Farms had supplied us with one of their coveted Long Island cheese pumpkins, renowned as the best pie pumpkin around; Holt roasted it and made a pumpkin clafouti, which we served with Graeter's cinnamon ice cream, some fun-size almond joys, and a tot of W.L. Weller's bourbon for all.

Huh-huh-happy Halloween.