HAPPY GEEK PRIDE DAY!!! Remember this lovely post from our treasured treasury writer, Marti? If you do, then you have probably been on the edge of your seat since Tuesday waiting to see how to use that Stormtrooper teapot and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy towel for a Geek Pride Day party. Well Melvin and I are here to put your minds at ease. We’re having a tea party! Full of dainty tasty treats inspired by the forefathers of geekdom… Figgins from Ankh-Morpork, Tuna Melts for the dolphins leaving us in Hitchhiker’s Guide, and a Dagobah Mud Cake for our ancient Jedi master whose home is found in the soggy swamps of Dagobah. So if you want to treat your friends to an awesome party full of geeky food, read on!
Let’s start with the figgins from Ankh-Morpork. Figgins are a raisin pastry from Ankh-Morpork, which is the largest city-state in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. I found this raisin tart recipe from Rachel Allen, and although it may not be a true figgin, it’s pretty tasty. And raisin-y. Put on your lilac apron and let’s get cooking! You will need:
Raisin Tart inspired by Ankh-Morpork Figgins
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup graham crackers
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Step 1: Butter a cupcake pan, set aside. Place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Step 2: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the graham cracker crumbs.
Step 3: Pour this mixture into each cupcake hole and flatten the crumbs into the base of each hole and up the sides. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours.
Step 4: Place the raisins in a saucepan with 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
Step 5: In a small bowl, dump the cornstarch and 2 tsp. water, mix together. Pour this mixture into the cooked raisins and stir gently over low heat for about 2 minutes.
Step 6: Add the cinnamon and sugar into the raisin concoction and stir over low heat for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Step 7: When your raisin mixture has cooled, pour the raisins into each tart base. Place this back into the refrigerator for another 1-2 hours.
Step 8: Pop out each tart and serve with tea as a geeky start to your tea party!
Now onto the main course, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy tuna melts! Everyone knows how sweet and intelligent dolphins are. I mean, they could have just left us without another word as the hyperspace bypass was getting ready to be built, but no. No, they thanked us for all of the fish we gave them. Here is a dish to use up those last few tunas that the dolphins missed.
Arthur Dent’s Tuna Melt
- 2- 6 oz. can water-packed tuna, drained
- 4 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. dijon mustard (or spicy brown mustard)
- 3 tbsp. chopped jalapenos
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Step 1: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Easy. Now here comes the melt part.
- 1 loaf of french bread or baguette, cut in half lengthwise
- white cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
Step 2: Set a rack in the top third of the oven and heat the broiler.
Step 3: Place the halves of bread on a cookie sheet and toast them under the broiler until lightly golden. Keep an eye on it, it toasts pretty quickly. I burned one of the halves of my loaf.
Step 4: Slice the bread into small, somewhat bite-sized pieces. You know, cute little dainty slices for your tea party.
Step 5: Top each piece with your tuna salad and a layer of the cheese.
Step 6: Place the tuna laden bread back into the oven on broil, letting the cheese melt completely. Again, keep an eye on it, this only took about 1-2 minutes.
Step 7: Serve after your tea and figgin, and start an arousing conversation with your friends about the idea that dolphins are actually studying us. Or the answer to life, the universe and everything.
And now, for the final course, the dish to end this delicious geeky trilogy. The Dagobah Mud Cake. This sinfully mouth-watering dessert is based upon this molten chocolate lava cake recipe, and believe me, when you eat this, you will wonder how this is not the official food of the Sith.
Dagobah Mud Cake
- 4 squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 6 tbsp. flour
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°. Place the butter and the chocolate into a bowl and microwave for about 1 minute. Take the bowl out and stir the butter chocolate mixture until the chocolate is fully melted.
Step 2: Dump in the powdered sugar, mix well.
Step 3: Add your whole eggs and egg yolks, mix thoroughly.
Step 4: Add the flour, mix together.
Step 5: Place 4 custard cups (those little Pyrex dishes that aren’t really used for anything else) onto a baking sheet. Spray them down with cooking spray.
Step 6: Pour the Dagobah mud mixture into each cup.
Step 7: Bake for about 13 minutes. Remove from oven. Place a plate over top of the cup, holding onto the cup with a dish towel. Flip the plate and cup over, then lift the cup. That little mud cake should slide right out of the cup and onto the plate. And then into your mouth.
Step 8: Begin your rigorous Jedi training… oh wait. That’s another party altogether.
Make your tea party full of geek pride with some help from these guys:
 Ankh Morpork coat o… $50.00
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 Terry Pratchett Dis… $3.50
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 Hitchhiker’s Gu… $14.00
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 So Long and Thanks … $7.50
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 R2D2 Shall Not a Co… $18.00
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 Custom Handmade Yod… $19.97
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 Geek Pride Pendant … $6.00
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 Nerd Pride Button (… $3.00
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