Dessert for gluten, free vegan meal

[forever_young_ca]

I have to supply a dessert for a dinner for eight next weekend. Two of the guests eat gluten free and are vegan. Other than a fruit salad what else is there?

[pastrygirl]

tapioca or rice pudding with coconut milk, almond milk, or a fruity or herbal syrup and fruit - or cornstarch or rice flour based pudding

water based chocolate mousse - see herve this chocolate chantilly thread

caramelized rice krispies could be a garnish for something soft, also crispy fried rice noodles

roasted or poached fruit with sorbet - if you have a pacojet or very good blender you can get a rich creamy sorbet using nuts

chocolate dipped dried fruits and nuts, nondairy truffles, pate de fruits, and turkish delight for petit fours

agar jellies can be difficult to get just the right texture - hard to get a prefect panna cotta mimic, but firmer cubes of a fruit based agar jelly could be a useful component

Edited April 4, 2011 by pastrygirl (log)

[Will]

First off, it's nice that you're trying to accommodate them and not take the easy way out, and I'm pretty sure they will appreciate this to no end.

Assuming none of them is allergic to nuts, one way to go would be a raw nut based "cheesecake". I am not a fan of the whole "raw food" fad, but there are some incredibly delicious (and fairly bulletproof) vegan and raw "cheesecake" recipes which should also be gluten free. They can be incredibly rich and delicious, even if they don't taste exactly like a cheesecake (you can use a similar method for a banana cream pie, chocolate cream pie, etc.). The crust would probably also be nut based. Never made one myself, so I don't have a specific recipe in mind, but I have heard they're fairly easy to make. However, you will need to soak the raw cashews in advance, and you may need something heavy duty like a Vita-mix to get them smooth enough.

You could also try a coconut milk based dessert -- there are some interesting SE Asian desserts that use coconut milk and tapioca, either warm or cold, maybe with some sort of fruit (like a nice ripe mango). Or you can cook mung beans, sweeten coconut milk with some rock sugar and a pinch of salt, add a tiny amount of agar to the coconut milk mixture, pour over the mung beans into a glass baking dish, and let it cool in the fridge.

You could also just purchase some coconut milk or soy based "ice cream", making sure it's also gluten free, or sorbet, and then have a sundae bar, with various toppings (indicating any toppings which aren't vegan / gluten free).

If you want to do a more traditional baked type thing, there are also some commercial gluten free baking mixes; I've had some success with this the one time I tried to make gluten free baked goods, but I'd be wary of going this route, especially when you're also trying to make something vegan at the same time. Most of these also suggest that you add xanthan gum, which is kind of weird.

[Will]

Oh - also, maybe you could try some sort of sweet crêpe, maybe buckwheat, with a warm fruit topping?

You could use this as a starting point, and use flaxseed or Ener-G Egg Replacer to replace the egg, and acidulated soy milk to replace the buttermilk.

http://just-making-noise.blogspot.com/2009/09/sweet-buckwheat-crepes-w-mango-banana.html

Some sort of spiced / poached pear might be an interesting way to go without being too much hassle.

Edited April 4, 2011 by Will (log)

[stuartlikesstrudel]

Pastrygirl has given some great suggestions, so I'll just add on to them (I like to make desserts that feel special by making a few components to combine, which seems fancy and isn't necessarily hard).

Cornflakes and Rice krispies can both be gluten free, but check to make sure.

You can make good pressed pie crusts using cornflakes or gluten-free cookies, which then opens up pies or tarts as an option too. There's a vegan chocolate mousse recipe that's pretty famous around the internet, I just tried it last week and was surprised at how decent it was (for a vegan mousse, anyway). Basically it's silken tofu blended up with dark chocolate (no dairy) and sweetened slightly. Ends up thick, smooth and pretty chocolatey.

I would re-emphasise the fruit options - nicely poached or grilled fruit may be simple but are still delicious and better than just cutting it up for fruit salad.

Gluten-free crumble is pretty tasty made with GF flour and shredded coconut, so you could use that as a textural and flavour element with fruits.

So one example using some of these elements would be poached pear served with some chocolate mousse and a ginger or spiced crumble. Sounds pretty good to me! Or what about pastrygirl's idea of rice pudding... that would go well with fruits too.

[Will]

Gluten-free crumble is pretty tasty made with GF flour and shredded coconut, so you could use that as a textural and flavour element with fruits.

I like this idea too - cookie "crumbles", granola, or some other crunchy bits can help give some of the starchy component you're missing in a gluten free dessert, but should be a lot tastier and easy to make than full on gluten free baked goods, which, let's face it, are generally kind of nasty.

[Dianabanana]

There are lots of Asian desserts that are gluten free and vegan; for instance, sticky rice with mangoes and sweetened coconut milk, or tapioca made with coconut milk and served with tropical fruits. You could also do Mark Bittman's chocolate tofu pudding (the EG thread on it is here.)

Edited April 4, 2011 by Dianabanana (log)

[merstar]

As Stuart mentioned above:

Chocolate Tofu Mousse (Pie) - (omit the graham cracker crust):

http://www.veganconnection.com/recipes/chocpie.htm

Moo-less Chocolate Pie - Alton Brown (omit the crust):

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/moo-less-chocolate-pie-recipe/index.html

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Sorbet

Chocolate Coconut Butter Banana Bites:

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/03/03/chocolate-coconut-butter-banana-bites/

Cinnamon-Grilled Bananas with Mexican Chocolate (instead of serving with ice cream, serve with toffuti, rice dream, or sorbet - coconut sorbet would be good):

http://www.recipezaar.com/Cinnamon-Grilled-Bananas-With-Mexican-Chocolate-235831

Edited April 4, 2011 by merstar (log)

[Mjx]

Unless 'cruchy-granola' is also a parameter, go with dark chocolate: fruit dipped in chocolate, liqueur chocolates, water-ganache truffles, chocolate-dipped potato chips, anything but agar-based things and fruit slad, which initially popped into my mind, too, then I thought, 'God, no, not again...'

[Darienne]

It's easy to make ice cream with coconut milk. And delicious.

[rooftop1000]

For some reason Passover was the first thing that came to my little mind for this one, and that worked it's way to Vegan macaroons.

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Ap0_ms6bkd09Xa4FaMBn8QCbvZx4?fr=yfp-t-701-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF8&p=vegan%20macaroon%20recipe

Maybe cook up a fruit compote from some frozen fruit and serve it as a cobler with macaroons placed on top.

tracey

[forever_young_ca]

Wow, these are some terrific suggestions. For some reason my mind went blank last night when faced with this task

A couple of questions - does almond milk taste really "almondy"?

Are macaroons "legal" vegan - they contain egg whites?

[Mjx]

Wow, these are some terrific suggestions. For some reason my mind went blank last night when faced with this task

A couple of questions - does almond milk taste really "almondy"?

Are macaroons "legal" vegan - they contain egg whites?

Almond milk doesn't taste at all almondy, but that can be fixed with a very small amount of almond extract.

Virtually all the recipes for macaroons that I've seen contain egg white (I have a vague recollection of seeing one without, although I don't recall where, and you should be able to find something online).

[baroness]

Egg whites are NOT vegan.

There are coconut macaroon recipes that contain sweetened condensed milk instead, but that's not vegan either.

Several recommended books:

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

The Vegan Scoop: 150 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream That Tastes Better Than the "Real" Thing by Wheeler del Torro

[pastrygirl]

A couple of questions - does almond milk taste really "almondy"?

If you want almondy-tasting almond milk, make your own with toasted nuts to bring out the flavor.

At my last job, we had a couple of VIP regulars with multiple allergies. At first, it does seem like there is nothing you can make, but if you start focusing on the ingredients you CAN use instead of the ones you CAN'T, the ideas will flow a little faster.

Edited April 4, 2011 by pastrygirl (log)

[JeanneCake]

I did my first vegan cake this weekend; it's not going to fit the parameters of gluten free, but I adapted the popular "wowie cake" (the recipe is all over the internet) to a vanilla version by replacing the cocoa with almond flour.

You could experiment with using a gluten free flour replacer in the recipe (the recipe, which I doubled, so I remember the quantities: 15 oz flour, 14 oz granulated white sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 cup almond meal, 1 tsp salt - mix this together in a bowl. Then you need 1 tsp vanilla, 2 cups cold water and 2/3 cup vegetable oil, add these liquids, stir (don't leave any lumps but don't overmix this either), pour into a greased pan (I lined them with parchment so I'd be able to get them out cleanly) and then bake it for about 35-40 mins at 350 (I didn't use the convection oven for this but if that's all you have, use a low fan). It will bake pretty flat, but you can cut it into shapes and use it as a component on the plate....

[Jenni]

What else is on your menu? May not be that important, I just wondered what kind of food you are cooking.

Rice is naturally gluten free, and you could make a delicious dairy free rice pudding with coconut milk. Along the same lines, two Thai snacks come to mind: Sticky rice with mango, and black sticky rice in coconut milk.

A little different from rice pudding but similar, phirni is a delicious and creamy dessert from India made with ground rice and milk. You could use soy milk or coconut milk to make it. Sample recipe here

There are a number of sweets that can be made with pretty much just nuts and sugar, and are utterly delicious. Peanut chikki is one I can think of, this is close to peanut brittle but it is made with jaggery instead of sugar so has more flavour. Then their's kaju katli, which is a sort of fudge made from cashews and sugar. And there are some fabulous dried fruit salads or stews. Figs, prunes, apricots and almonds cooked with sugar and water till soft and juicy...served hot or cold with a dollop of something creamy (whizzed up tofu sweetened a little? Soy yoghurt?)...delicious.

In the cake department, there is a steamed Filipino "muffin" called puto made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, baking powder and often anise. There are recipes made with eggs, but also plenty without. You could serve it with a chocolate dipping sauce, or you could ice them and serve them like little cakes. Sample recipe here

Good luck with your meal!

[forever_young_ca]

Thanks everyone for their suggestions. You really opened my eyes to possibilities. I did not know that almond milk was so inter changeable with milk.

I think I have decided on poached pears (I do a great one) with a vegan ice cream instead of whipping cream. I will also make chocolate haystacks and hope they turn out with almond milk and oil instead of milk and butter.

[Darienne]

Do let us know how it goes. And what kind of ice cream you make with what ice cream base you use.

[rooftop1000]

It's a little late but a Non-vegan Non-Gluten free chef friend of mine just recommended this recipe from his friend....

http://gfcfwtf.blogspot.com/2010/01/flourless-chocolate-cakecupcakes.html

he said he ate half the pan...they were baked up as brownies

tracey

[flourgirl]

I am planning on baking the Wowie Cake this morning. Could anyone recommend an adornment which does not contain butter, margarine or shortening? Thanks.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

If you're making the cocoa version, chocolate is an obvious choice.

Otherwise, you can't go wrong with sliced fresh fruit as a topping, or with something like strawberries macerated in brandy. Are you baking for vegans, or just for gluten-free? If you're OK with a bit of honey, you can use it as a glaze for fruit.....

[flourgirl]

Thank you! I am baking for just for me because it is dairy-free. Honey sounds good! I just don't want to add excess fat.

The cake is baking now.

Do I brush honey on while it is still warm?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I heat honey in the double boiler with a tablespoon of brown sugar, then spoon this hot mixture over the cake (and any fresh fruit) while the cake is still warm. It's my standard "glaze" for my yoghurt shortcake.

Edit - that should be shortcake, not shortbread.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[flourgirl]

That sounds perfect!!!

I just removed the cake from the oven and will make the glaze right now.

Thank you so much!!!