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Aug 21, 2010 01:43 AM

Dessert for a Thai dinner?

I'm having a dinner party this week and cooking up a mess of yummy, spicy, fresh Thai food. I've got a signature cocktail and some good beer, and the menu is all set, except dessert. Tradition would suggest mango and sticky rice, but I really don't like mango much, and anyway, people kind of expect over the top desserts from me, heavy on the chocolate, and richer than Bill Gates. Any ideas for something thematically appropriate (although I would be fine with anything somewhat "Asian" or tropical,; I am not a stickler for authenticity), but that still meets my guests' expectations for something a little over the top?



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  1. Something with coconut always works with Asian dinners. What about a coconut ice cream with some sort of chocolate tuille?

    6 Replies
        1. re: lulubelle

          lulubelle, warm chocolate pudding spooned over fresh pineapple is delicious--so, any variation on that might work.

        2. re: classylady

          I had a really dark chocolate fondue with pineapple for dipping once that was FABULOUS!

        3. re: roxlet

          A coconut milk flan?

          Or a panna cotta with some mango sauce (I know!) or other fruit sauce?

          Not chocolate or rich so may not meet those criteria for you, but kind of refreshing after something spicy.

          1. re: karykat

            Another thought: champagne gelee with citrus fruit. Use the pineapple and maybe other fruit with that.

            This is mentioned on the thread about the Ready For Dessert book.

        4. How fancy do you want to get?

          You could do something simple, like cube fresh pineapple, fresh mango, banana chunks, and coconut chunks to make a fresh tropical fruit salad. If you wanted to get a little fancier than that, you could drizzle with honey, or, alternatively, put them in individual serving cups (like sundae cups) and top with whipped cream.

          If you have an ice cream maker, how about a simple pomegranate sorbet?


          Or you could serve fresh pineapple with coconut ice cream or coconut sorbet.

          Here's a recipe for Warm Pineapple Glazed in Dark Rum. It's the second recipe on that page, the first is for coconut ice cream (which again would require you to have an ice cream maker). Coconut ice cream isn't usually too hard to find, or you could serve the pineapple by itself or with some other type of ice cream, whatever's available locally. The pineapple recipe looks pretty easy.


          For something a little more unusual, here's a recipe that uses honey, cayenne flakes, and grilled pineapple:


          And if you want to get REALLY fancy, how about a pineapple mousse?


          1. Panna cotta made with coconut milk would be my suggestion, perhaps served with a spiced chocolate sauce and/or crushed macadamia brittle and/or passionfruit puree, in keeping with the complexity and decadence of your usual desserts? ;)

            1. Could you make a layered pie? I was thinking one layer a coconut milk custard, one layer chocolate silk pie, with a gingersnap crust, maybe make a mango or passionfruit sauce to spoon over for those who want it.

              1. And the heck with meeting their expectations! Shake 'em up a bit! Mix it up! Do something different! It's all good.

                I missed the part where you said you don't like mango. In a fresh tropical cocktail you could replace the mango with papaya and/or passion fruit. Instead of typical grocery store bananas, hit an Asian market and get some of the little, sweet, delicious finger bananas.

                Let us know what you end up serving, I'm dying of curiosity by now, LOL!

                3 Replies
                1. re: ZenSojourner

                  Such great ideas! At this point I am wavering between making the warm rum and pineapple sauce and pouring it over a coconut pound cake, and making some lemongrass cupcakes I found in the "Who You Callin' Cupcake?" cookbook from Bleeding Heart Bakery in Chicago.

                  1. re: lulubelle

                    Just wondering what the rest of your menu looks like? I too am planning to throw a dinner party featuring thai dishes--I could use some inspiration!

                    1. re: Lotus7

                      We had prawns wrapped in wonton skins (like cigars) deep fried and served with shot glasses of sweet chili sauce for dipping, Tom Yum Gai, Green Papaya Salad and Massaman curry (beef) and for dessert I ended up making lime cupcakes filled with lime curd and frosted with coconut frosting. Not traditional, but yummy!