2 gluten-free dessert chefs you must check out now
As chefs cater to more diverse dietary demands, it is encouraging to see how desserts can be gluten-free and still be delicious.
Theo Randall is a British celebrity chef who is based at Theo Randall at the InterContinental Hotel London Park Lane, and the mastermind of the new Theo Mistral in the InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong. He makes a chocolate cake to-die-for and it is gluten free.
Made with chocolate, eggs, sugar, cream and cooked at a low temperature in a water bath, Randall describes the cake as “rich, light and soft in texture”. Randall mentions that his mother is gluten-intolerant, and that he has needed to include gluten-free options for years, saying: “There is a high demand, and I am concerned that there are lots of diners with gluten intolerance.”
What is Randall’s guilty pleasure when it comes to all things sweet? “Almalfi lemon tart,” he says, and it is on the menu at his new Hong Kong restaurant.
Over at Morton’s of Chicago, at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel, executive chef Alan Wong has several gluten-free desserts on his menu.
The highlight is perhaps the double chocolate mousse, which is extremely rich, and made with Belgian chocolate, topped with fresh-whipped cream, and garnished with a raspberry and mint leaf.
“Making everyone feel welcome is at the core of Morton’s values, so we strive to be inclusive in every way,” Wong says.
“Actually, many of our dishes, including our steaks and fresh seafood plates are already gluten-sensitive, so there has always been plenty of variety on our menu.
‘We go one step further by offering our gluten-sensitive customers a dedicated gluten-sensitive menu too.”
Wong’s guilty pleasure is a sweet pumpkin pudding - we wonder if that’s gluten-free.
Theo Randall a makes a gluten-sensitive chocolate cake to-die-for at Theo Mistral, while Alan Wong serves a delightful double chocolate mousse at Morton’s of Chicago