Halloween Party Planning Part 2 - Brains

No Halloween party is complete without a dish of brains. Over the years I have experimented with a varity of techniques that are rather tasty and just goulish enough to be fun.
For years I made a lumpy brain dish out of rolls that I stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. I used the rolls to make a monkey bread version of a brain and would paint them with red and blue food coloring. For added gore, I would drizzle pizza sauce over the top (serving with pizza was a must).
Last year, we bought a zombie brain mold for about $4. I used it to make panna cotta and served it with raspberry sauce. If you are not familiar with Panna Cotta, it's a white milky gelatin dish that molded beautifully. It was gruesome.
Here are two more ideas.
Brain cupcakes - this is more a technique than a recipe since you can use any cupcake to make these.
Melon Brain I'm tempted to try this but fruit carving is not my thing.
Purchasing an inexpensive brain mold can open possibilities but you don't have to let that limit you.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta
3 teas gelatin
3 1/2 tbs. cold water
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 2 tbs. sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
2 cups buttermilk
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in med bowl. Let stand untouched for 3 minutes. In small saucepan - combine cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour over gelatin. Stir well to dissolve gelatin. Let cool to room temp. Remove vanilla bean and add buttermilk, stirring to mix. Strain mixture through fine sieve and pour into grease mold. Cover and chill 6 hours.