Pirate Ship Sandwich Recipes

BOOZY WATERMELON PIRATE SHIP

Steps:

• Set the watermelon on its side (stem ends facing left and right) and cut off a small flat piece of rind so the watermelon is stable.
• Use the screw top of the rum bottle to trace a circle on the top of the watermelon. Cut out the circle to make a hole exposing the flesh. Tilt the watermelon on its side and press the bottle into the watermelon all the way up to the neck. Turn the watermelon back so the bottle is facing downward. Put the watermelon on a tray and refrigerate until all the rum soaks in, 12 to 24 hours depending on the density of the watermelon.
• To make the ship: Cut off the top half of the watermelon in one piece lengthwise, just above the stem. Use a melon baller to scoop out as many balls as possible from the top and bottom halves of the melon and put them in a large bowl. Scrape the top and bottom halves down to the rind with a spoon. The bottom half of the melon will be your ship.
• Use a paring knife to cut a notch about 1 inch deep and 3 inches wide on each side of the ship. Mark 4 evenly spaced portholes under each notch using an apple corer (don't press all the way through). Use a paring knife to cut out the marked circles.
• Toss the chunks of mango, pineapple and papaya (reserving the slices) with the watermelon balls in the large bowl and fill the boat. (If there is a little fruit salad leftover, use it to refill the boat as your guests eat.)
• To make the sails: Cut the top half of the watermelon in half lengthwise and use the pieces to make sails. From the center most curved sections of the rinds cut out two 3-inch square sails. Cut two 2-inch sails and one 1 1/2-inch sail from the remaining rind pieces. Trim the backs of the sail to make them neat, but leave them thick.
• Thread 3 of the sails onto a 12-inch wood skewer in this order: a 3-inch sail on the bottom, 2-inch sail in the middle and 1 1/2-inch sail on the top. Thread the remaining 2 sails on an 8-inch wood skewer with the largest sail on the bottom. Stick the skewers with the sails into the fruit, putting the 3-sail mast in the back.
• Use a paring knife to cut 4 small flags from the papaya slices. Stick a flag on the top of each skewer mast. Stick 2 toothpicks in the back of the boat and add a flag to each.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

SHIPWRECK DINNER

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir pasta and cheese mixture from the macaroni and cheese package into the beef. Add tomatoes, milk, peas, and corn to the beef mixture; stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, place a cover on the skillet and cook at a simmer until the noodles are tender, about 12 minutes.
• Season the dish with seasoned salt. Stir about half of the Cheddar cheese into dish to melt. Top with remaining cheese.

PIRATE SHIP PORK LOIN

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat.
• Using the marinade injector syringe, inject Creole garlic into pork. Massage barbecue rub all over pork.
• Pour apple juice into a spray bottle.
• Grill until rare in the middle, about 30 minutes, misting with apple juice every 10 minutes to keep moist. Slice lengthwise to create the full of the ship being careful not to slice completely through the loin. Pour barbecue sauce into the cavity and grill until pork is cooked through, about 30 minutes more. Slice into thin slices for sandwiches or thick slices to make it a meal.
• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

TUNA AND CHEESE PIRATE SHIPS

Steps:

• Open tuna; drain.
• In small bowl, mix tuna, miracle whip, and relish (or prepare tuna using your favorite method.).
• Cut crusts off of bread and cut each piece in quarters. Spread tuna on one piece and put another piece on top for each mini-sandwich.
• Fold and tear one slice of cheese to make four squares. Skewer each piece of cheese on a toothpick as pictured and stick into sandwich to make the ship.
• Two pieces of bread and one piece of cheese makes 4 pirate ships.

PIRATE'S SHIPWRECK STEW

Steps:

• In a skillet, brown beef with onion over medium heat; drain. In a 3-qt. baking dish, combine beef mixture with remaining ingredients. , Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until rice and potatoes are tender.

PIRATE SHIP AND TREASURE ISLAND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 30x20cm cake tin with baking parchment.
• Put the butter and 200g of the chocolate into a saucepan and heat gently until melted. Remove from the heat. Sieve the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Mix in the sugar. Beat together the eggs, soured cream and vanilla extract. Pour the chocolate and egg mixtures into the flour and sugar and beat well until smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Leave until completely cold before cutting and shaping.
• Cut the cake in half lengthways. Place one complete half on the 30cm cake board. Cut the remaining half into 3 rectangles, 13x10cm, 7x10cm and 10x10cm. Attach the 10x10cm piece to one end of the base cake using a little warm jam. Cut a 'V' shape to represent the prow of the ship. Place the 13x10 piece at the other end of the base cake, attaching with jam. Using jam again attach the 7x10 piece on top of the 13x10 piece to make the upper deck. Slice the back of the ship at a very slight angle.
• Brush the whole cake with jam. Roll out about 550g of the ready-to-roll icing and cover the cake. Trim the edges at the base and keep any trimmings.
• Melt the remaining 100g chocolate in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Use melted chocolate to stick the mini Toblerones to the edges of the two decks and to the 'V' shape of the prow. Trim any to fit exactly. Use the chocolate to stick on the chocolate balls for canon balls, finger biscuits stacked up as canons and chocolate caramels for port holes. Using a little of the marzipan, roll out and cut four windows. Make window frames from brown icing trimmings, rolling out to thin sausages to form a cross and sticking with chocolate. Attach to the sides of the ship with chocolate. Poke the chocolate stick out of the front of the prow, if using.
• Arrange the chocolate coins in a little pile on the cake board, reserving 3 or 4 coins for the top. Roll out the remaining brown icing and cover the coins completely. Brush with melted chocolate and sprinkle with muscovado sugar. Push 3 or 4 coins into the sand along with the chocolate skull if using.
• Put a little of the royal icing in a bowl. Colour the remainder blue. Spread the icing on the cake board around the ship and the island. Use the white icing to make 'surf' around the edge of the island.
• Using the remaining marzipan and brown icing, make three barrels. Place one on the deck of the ship and the others in the sea. Cut out sails from the paper and make holes in them so you can push the straws through. Attach the sails to the ship and poke sandwich flags out of the top to finish.

PIRATE SHIP SANDWICH

Steps:

• Remove three outer leaves of romaine for sails; set aside. Chop remaining romaine; toss with dressing. Cut bread into 20 slices, leaving slices attached at the bottom. Between every other slice of bread, layer the cheese, turkey, ham, salami and romaine mixture.
• Poke two holes in each reserved lettuce leaf, one about 2 inches from the top and one about 2 inches from the bottom. Place a pretzel rod through both holes on each lettuce leaf to form a sail. Place sails in sandwich.
• To serve, cut completely through the bread between the plain slices.