Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted by Dave Kessler

 

This could be your most memorable Halloween treat ever. You can serve baked crickets on a stick, dipped in chocolate.

Crickets are said to be a good source of protein, and at least one health food manufacturer makes no secret of the fact that their energy bars contain ground-up crickets.

The nice thing about serving crickets is you don’t have to go out and catch them. The Rainbow Mealworm Co. in Compton, Calif., sells food quality crickets and will send them right to your door.

You can buy 5-week-old crickets approximately 1 inch in length shipped live to your door for $4.50 for 200, or for a bigger party you can purchase 1,000 of them for $16.50 plus shipping.

But wait. There’s more. Bigger quantities cost less per cricket and you can order by phone from operators standing by, ready to take your credit card.

Chocolate-Covered Crickets on a Stick

Crickets

Wooden toothpicks

Candy dipping chocolate

When your crickets arrive, separate them from the shipping material, place them into a garbage bag and put them in your food freezer for a day or two.

When ready to make your cricket treats, get them out of the freezer and let them thaw. Then place a layer of them on a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

When the crickets are baked put a wooden toothpick into each so you can handle them when dipping them into warm chocolate. Almost every market sells candy-coating chocolate, and this is what to use.

Candy-coating chocolate can be melted in a double boiler or made ready for dipping even quicker by using your microwave. Follow directions on the package. Dip the baked crickets into the chocolate and then set them aside on waxed paper to let the chocolate set up.

After the chocolate is set up you can place the crickets on any plate or platter and let your guests choose the crickets they wish to devour. If you have leftovers, you can put them into a Tupperware container with lid and keep them in the refrigerator until appetites have built up for more crickets.

Your satisfaction with your chocolate-covered crickets on a stick is guaranteed. It’s a personal guarantee from my editor, Ann Hinch. If you aren’t completely satisfied with your chocolate-covered crickets on a stick, send them to Ann here at Farm World and she will eat them for you – or find a hapless intern willing to do so for college credit.

Readers with questions or comments for Dave Kessler may write to him in care of this publication.