Couch Party

A few weeks ago we added a new member to our household. Namely, we purchased a couch at Ikea and now it really ties the room together. To celebrate, we gave a party. The first party that I have hosted since I lived in Santa Cruz! It was a long overdue, well attended, dessert and booze party, not unlike the wine and cheese parties long ago in a petit chateau by the sea. I wanted to design a menu that would be all inclusive, so we served sticky rice, pretzels, and vegan chocolate cake. As Ina Garten says (and I paraphrase) why emphasize dietary differences? Why not incorporate all tastes when giving a party?




Sticky Rice with Mango

Serves 2-4 for a sit down dinner, or 8-10 for a cocktail party
As seen on thaifood.about.com

1 cup sticky rice (I used sushi rice, seemed to turn out fine)
1 3/4 cups water
1 ripe mango, sliced
1/4 cup + 1 T brown sugar (I used white, seemed to turn out fine)
1 can coconut milk (don't use low fat, it's not the same!)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder dissolved in water

1. Soak the rice in 1 cup water for 20 minutes to an hour in the pot you intend to cook with.

2. When done soaking, add 3/4 cup (more) water plus 1/4 can coconut milk, and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Stir this into the rice, lifting any rice grains that have stuck to the bottom of the pot. Gradually bring to a gentle boil, then partially cover with a lid (leaving some room for steam to escape). Turn the heat down to medium-low.

3. Allow to cook for 10-20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Remove the pot from the heat, place the lid on tight, and leave to "steam" cook for 5-10 minutes. The heat within the rice pot will finish cooking the rice.

4. Make sauce and serve the dessert right away, or store the rice (covered) in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
[To make the sauce, warm the rest of the can of coconut milk together with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring over medium heat (~5 minutes)]

5. Add cornstarch or arrowroot powder (dissolved in the water) to the sauce and stir to thicken it slightly. As it thickens, turn down heat to low. When thickened, remove from heat (this should only take a couple of minutes).

6. Before serving, taste-test the sauce for sweetness, adding more sugar if desired. If too sweet for your taste, add a little more coconut milk. If not sweet enough, add some more sugar.



The chocolate cake was modeled after the ecstasy cake that we used to serve at Chocolate, the most uppity bistro in Santa Cruz. It was a dark chocolate cake, soaked in chocolate syrup (the kind they make mochas with at Starbucks, not Hersheys). I was unable to find plain chocolate syrup, so I used mint chocolate syrup instead! No one complained.

Mint Chocolate Ecstasy Cake

Serves 4-12, depending on how hungry you are
Based on a recipe as seem on http://www.ecochildsplay.com/

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup soymilk

1/3 cup mint chocolate syrup, plus more for serving
Fresh mint leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan (or a comparably sized springform pan or pie plate). Combine in the pan (not a separate bowl) the flour, cugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Shake around to combine.

Make three holes in the mixed dry ingredients. Pour the oil in one hole, the vinegar in another, and the vanilla in the third. Pour the soymilk over the whole shebang and mix well. If you scrape some of the grease and flour off the pan, it's not the end of the world.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan. When cake is cool, pour the chocolate syrup onto the serving plate and set the cake on top. Dust the top of the cake with the remaining chocolate powder.

To serve, pour about a tablespoon of syrup onto plate and set the slice on top. Garnish with fresh mint.



I made the mistake of garnishing my cake with powdered sugar instead of chocolate powder. It just made it look moldy, so I don't recommend it.

Ahhhh. A good time was had by all and now we have a couch! It's so wonderful. Too bad it only sits two people so most of us had to stand for most of the party. I'd say the dancing was all the better for that fact!



Silly hats only!