Planning a holiday meal for a large gathering is difficult, especially if there are food allergies to consider. Try these gluten-free dessert options that everyone can enjoy.
Photo by Karen Hermann
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
SERVES 8
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon espresso coffee powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup Dutch cocoa powder
1 pint raspberries, for garnish
Confectioner’s sugar, for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray and cover the bottom with parchment paper.
Into a medium bowl, put chocolate and butter. Cover with plastic wrap and place bowl over a medium saucepan half-filled with water. (Make sure water is not touching the bottom of the bowl). Over medium heat, allow water to come to a boil and continue for about 20 minutes until butter is melted and chocolate is soft. Remove bowl from over pan and remove plastic wrap. Stir until butter and chocolate are well combined. Scrape chocolate mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Stir in sugar, salt, espresso powder and vanilla. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Fold in the cocoa powder until just combined. Pour batter in cake pan and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, loosen the side of the cake from the pan and invert onto a serving dish. Garnish with raspberries and sift with confectioner’s sugar.
Chef’s tip
Flourless cakes are delicious, but they will have a denser texture than cakes that contain flour.
Caramel Flan
Photo by Gina Moore
SERVES 8
Caramel
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup water
Custard
3 cups milk
¾ cup sugar, divided
1 vanilla bean, halved (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat oven to 325 F. Place a small bowl of cold water and a pastry brush near the stovetop. In a medium bowl, prepare an ice water bath. Place eight 4-ounce ramekins in a large roasting pan. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
Caramel
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, mix sugar, lemon juice and water. Do not stir again. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar mixture is amber in color, about 6 minutes. Use the pastry brush, dipped in the water, to constantly brush down the sides of the pan inside to prevent crystals from forming. Remove from heat and immerse pan in ice bath for 3 seconds to stop the caramel from further cooking. Dry off the bottom of the pan. Working quickly, pour about 1 tablespoon of the caramel into the bottom of each ramekin, swirling to evenly coat. (It does not have to be perfect!)
Custard
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add milk, half of sugar and vanilla bean. Heat until just before boiling—bubbles will form around the edges of the milk. Do not let milk boil.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, remaining sugar and salt. Discard the vanilla bean from the milk. In a process known as tempering, add a ladle of the hot milk to the egg mixture and whisk vigorously to combine. Repeat with another ladle of milk. Gradually whisk in remaining milk. Strain through a sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl. Divide the mixture between the ramekins and place in the oven. Add enough boiling water to pan to come half-way up the sides of ramekins.
Bake 35 minutes until custards are just set—but still slightly shaky in the center. Using large tongs, carefully remove ramekins from the hot water to a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. To unmold, run a sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin. Place a serving plate over the top of each and quickly invert (to prevent caramel from dripping out). Gently lift the ramekin to remove. Serve immediately.
Chef’s tips
Use extreme caution when cooking sugar! To avoid spills and potentially nasty burns, make sure the pan handle is not sticking out into your work path.
Tempering is a process of adding hot liquids to eggs to keep the eggs from cooking. It is accomplished by whisking—vigorously—a small amount of the hot liquid into the eggs. This raises the temperature of the eggs gradually so they will not coddle.
Orange Date Cake
Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
SERVES 8–10
4 large navel oranges
4 large eggs, room temperature
8 large medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup sugar
3 cups almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place 2 oranges, unpeeled, in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes until tender. Drain and cool. Cut each orange into large pieces and set aside. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Peel another orange and thinly slice. Cover the bottom of the cake pan with the orange slices in your desired pattern.
Into the bowl of a large blender, add chopped oranges, eggs and dates. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, almond meal and baking powder. Add blended orange mixture and vanilla. Mix until well blended, but do not overmix. Pour on top of orange slices in the cake pan and bake for 45–50 minutes or until golden brown on top. Check with a cake tester. If still wet in the middle, continue baking and check every 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 15 minutes while you make the orange syrup.
In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, combine the ¾ cup sugar and juice from the remaining orange. Cook, stirring for 2–3 minutes, or until sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens.
Turn the cake onto a serving dish so orange slices are on top. Carefully remove the parchment paper. Using a skewer, poke holes in the cake and spoon the syrup over cake.
Chef’s tip
In this recipe, I specifically recommend using navel oranges because they do not contain seeds. You can use other varieties of oranges, just remember to remove the seeds before adding to the batter.
Chocolate Panna Cotta
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
SERVES 4
1¾ cups heavy cream
1¼ teaspoon plain gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch, kosher salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon coffee or vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Shaved chocolate, for garnish
Ground chocolate, for garnish
Coat four 6-ounce ramekins with cooking spray. Pour ¼ cup cream into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let stand for 10–15 minutes until softened. Place the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water and stir until gelatin dissolves.
Into a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add remaining cream, sugar and salt and bring just to a boil—but not boiling. Stir in espresso and coffee or vanilla extract. Remove from heat, add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Add the gelatin mixture and stir until well blended.
Pour mixture through a fine sieve or strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl with a spout. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight. Serve in the ramekins or invert onto individual serving dishes. For easier removal, dip the ramekins into a bowl of hot water for about 5 seconds. Garnish with shaved chocolate pieces and sprinkle with ground chocolate.
___
Related stories
Holiday desserts—What separates holiday meals from other family feasts? The wonderful desserts, of course! Create sweet holiday memories with these recipes from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan.
A taste of ‘Southern Sugar’—How sweet it is! Enjoy this selection of just desserts from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s delicious desserts cookbook, 'Southern Sugar.'
Cranberry Apple Pie–Chef Belinda reboots the All-American pie with a little holiday flair.