Martha Stewart's Halloween Treats

Domestic diva Martha Stewart joined the co-hosts to show them how to use glitter to make their Halloween sparkle -- and how to create some fun "shocktails and horror d'oeuvres."

VIDEO: Watch Martha make a few crafts with the co-hosts.

Black Lagoon Vodka
Makes 2

4 ounces vodka
2 ounces Rosemary-Lemon Syrup
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup seltzer
Licorice Ice Cubes

Combine vodka, syrup, and juice in a cocktail shaker; stir to combine.  Add seltzer, and divide between two glasses filled with licorice ice cubes. Serve immediately.

Rosemary-Lemon Syrup
Makes 2⅓ cups (enough for 9 drinks)

2 lemons
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 sprigs rosemary

With a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from lemons, leaving bitter white pith behind. Combine peel plus remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain through a fine sieve (discard solids), and chill. Syrup can be refrigerated up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Licorice Ice Cubes
Makes 24 to 30

4 cups water
2 tablespoons anise seed
2 to 4 drops black food coloring

Bring the water and anise seed to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat; let cool 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve (discard solids), then stir in food coloring. Pour into ice cube trays (preferably square), and freeze.

Bleeding Heart Martini
Serves 4

2 ounces dry vermouth
8 ounces premium gin
Ice cubes
4 Pickled Baby Beets (recipe follows) each placed on a cocktail skewer.

Chill 4 martini glasses in the freezer or fill with ice water and let sit until frosty, about 5 minutes (pour out water). Add the vermouth, dividing evenly; swirl to coat the glasses, then pour out. Add gin to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until chilled; divide among chilled glasses. Garnish each with a skewered pickled baby beet, and serve immediately.

Pickled Baby Beets
Makes 8 to 10

1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
10 juniper berries
2 bunches baby beets (8 to 10), peeled

Combine all ingredients (except beets) in a small saucepan, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add beets and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer very gently until beets are tender, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Transfer to a small heatproof container; keep beets submerged. Once cooled, pickled beets can be refrigerated up to 1 week in an airtight container.

Miniature French Onion Soups
Serves 6 to 8

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1 cup white wine
8 cups homemade or low-sodium
chicken stock
4 sprigs thyme
3 tablespoons port (optional)
baguette, sliced . inch thick and toasted
12 ounces Morbier cheese, sliced into 4- to 5-inch-long pieces

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven with a tightfitting lid, heat oil over medium. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark golden and caramelized, 30 to 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; continue boiling until reduced by half.

2. Add stock and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until onions are very soft, about 30 minutes. Stir in port, if using.

3. Meanwhile, heat broiler with rack in middle. Ladle soup into 6-ounce ramekins, then top each with a toasted baguette slice or two. Drape cheese on top of bread so it hangs over the edge of the ramekin slightly. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until cheese is browned in spots, about 1. minutes. Serve immediately.

Spinach Ricotta Skulls
Makes about 3 dozen

1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
Olive-oil cooking spray
1 bunch fresh spinach (or a 10-ounce bag), washed and stems removed
1 bunch of loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 large whole eggs, plus 1 egg white
Crackers, for serving

1. Wrap ricotta tightly in cheesecloth; place in a colander over a large bowl. Place a heavy object (such as a bowl or canned good) on top; let drain in the refrigerator at least 3 hours (or up to overnight).

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. In a food processor, combine drained ricotta, spinach, basil, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add whole eggs and egg white; process for 5 seconds. Pour mixture into prepared pan; bake until set and just brown around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate, covered, until cold, preferably overnight. To unmold, run a paring knife around edge before removing side of pan.

3. Cut into quarters. Using a wide spatula, transfer to a cutting board coated with cooking spray. Cut out shapes with a skull-shaped cookie cutter coated with spray (see the Guide; if you can't find a cutter with eyes and a mouth, use aspic cutters to make features). Using a cotton swab, gently press skulls out directly onto crackers (leave eye and nose shapes in cutter).

Shriveled Potatoes with Romesco Sauce
Serves 6 to 8

⅔ cup whole blanched almonds
2 red bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon pimenton (smoked hot paprika)
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or
red-wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound mixed baby red and Yukon gold potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toast almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet until lightly golden and fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

2. Meanwhile, roast red peppers directly over a gas burner flame until blistered and charred, turning with tongs as each section blackens. (Alternatively, broil peppers on a baking sheet.) Transfer peppers to a large bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap; let steam about 15 minutes. Using paper towels, peel off blackened skins; remove and discard stems and seeds.

3. Lower oven to 325°. In a food processor, pulse almonds, roasted red peppers, pimenton, mint, vinegar, garlic, and . teaspoon  salt to a coarse paste, about 1 minute. With machine running, add 1 tablespoon oil in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

4. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, and toss with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Roast in oven (without moving potatoes on the pan) until skins are slightly crisp and potatoes are tender, about 1 hour. Serve potatoes warm or at room temperature, with sauce on the side.

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