Filling the Halloween void with chocolate ganache

Festive display at The Fresh Market (US)

France knows how to celebrate certain holidays quite well, like the 14th of July, Christmas and any other fête where crêpes are obligatory. But Halloween is not one of them. No festive decorations, no enticing candy displays in the supermarket like the one pictured above, and no pumpkin patches to explore. The closest they get to promoting ghouls and goblins is through advertisements for Disney’s Halloween themed attractions and the only thing spooky about that is Disney itself.

Halloween spirit and activities are met with perplexed faces – it simply has no local impact. Parisians are just too coincé to allow themselves to regress and stuff themselves with candy and chocolate and dress up like Michael Jackson. This would appear to be analogous to the theory that the French look down upon fun people and are seemingly unable to break free from their unwavering seriousness. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been sent looks of disgust and utter terror in restaurants for letting out a full-bodied laugh.

Last year, I held a Halloween party at my apartment and while it was great fun with great people, there was too much candy left over for one person who is unable to control themselves (my husband missed out on the binge fest because he was away on business). I decided I wouldn’t subject myself to another sugar hangover so this year I opted for filling my body with as much pumpkin-related products as possible like pumpkin soup, pumpkin coffee (brought back from the States), pumpkin purée, among others.

But this diet wouldn’t be complete without one of Little Miss Cupcake‘s concoctions to make it really feel like Halloween. I wanted to celebrate preemptively to avoid any difficulties in getting the cupcakes during what is sure to be a rush for LMC so I ordered a dozen to share. These pumpkin spice and chocolate ganache cupcakes in adorably appropriate liners did the trick. Perfectly moist and just the right amount of pumpkin.

So while the French Halloween may leave a lot to be desired, it is up to the expats to get the celebration brewing in some fashion. Getting disguised and going to a party can be fun but sometimes all you need are sweets, gummy fingers and Rocky Horror to make it feel like the holiday you know and love.