Forbidden Rice Pudding

It's the New Year already and I'm cooking up a few resolutions for the cafe. Most exciting is the debut of the second Dessert Tasting Platter! Those of you out there that have been "meaning to try that new chocolate place" but have yet to make it in... well you've already missed out on a few goodies never to be seen again. Well, it's not quite that dramatic, but our first tasting platter was retired today, it being seasonal and all (check it out here).
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So I'm back to the chocolatey grind, concocting four new mini-desserts for the new platter, and here is a sneak preview of the first dessert: Forbidden Rice Pudding.

Forbidden, you say? Well, not quite, but this twist on and old standard is, in fact, made from one particularly alluring and mysterious ingredient. Forbidden Rice, or Chinese Black Rice, is so-called because legend has it that at one time it was forbidden for anyone to eat but the Emperor.

Taking a page from the new pastry book by Spago's Sherry Yard, I've taken part Forbidden rice, part Jasmine rice and a selection of delicious spices to make a visually unusual treat that is as comforting as it is intriguing. Here is a pic of the spices (cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and vanilla bean) and uncooked rice:

The black rice yields such a dark color when cooked that the completed pudding is a deep purple when finished with dairy and coconut milk. Topped with a cocoa nib-white chocolate sauce and a dusting and Vietnamese cinnamon, this dessert is dressed to impress:

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