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Sharing Great Gluten-Free Ideas
Food Management Magazine

Some of the best ideas for gluten-free menu items, ingredient substitutions and preparation methods can come from conversations with your customers.

Pastry Chef Shaina Brock’s flourless chocolate cake and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies have gained a ravenous following at Loyola University.

Brock, who did a stint making pastry at Disney World, knows that giving customers what they crave is absolutely key.

So there is an ongoing conversation and sharing of recipes among the gluten-free students and the bake shop staff, a few of whom eat gluten-free as well.

The idea for Chocolate Flourless Cake came from students, as did the Chocolate Fudge and Strawberry Cake.

Brock is careful to safeguard the bake shop to make sure there’s no cross contamination when gluten-free baking is happening. All gluten-free items are made in the beginning of the day, before any items with flour are made. Surfaces and equipment are washed down and since it’s the beginning of the day, aprons and clothing are free of flour. Tools for gluten-free baking are washed and then wrapped in plastic before use.

She uses rice flour and tapioca flour instead of regular flour, and xanthan gum as a leavening agent.

Some would ask, “Why go through the effort, when it’s become increasingly easy to purchase packaged gluten-free baked goods?”

“If you’ve ever tried Shaina’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, you wouldn’t be asking that question,” says Bill Zimnoch, resident district manager at Loyola.

 

Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake

½ cup water (optional: substitute black coffee for water)
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup white sugar
18 oz. dark chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
6 eggs

For the ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. semi sweet chocolate

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Oil one 10” round cake pan (can use vegetable oil).
  2. In  a saucepan over medium heat stir the water, salt and sugar until completely dissolved and set aside.
  3. Melt the dark chocolate in the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven (if in microwave heat chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring in between)
  4. Pour chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time.
  5. Add hot sugar-water, then slowly beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for about 35 to 45 minutes. (Note: the center will still look wet when it’s done)
  7. Chill overnight. Dip the bottom of cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and flip onto serving plate or board.
  8. Make ganache by boiling heavy cream in a sauce pan. Once cream is hot, pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth.
  9. Pour ganache over chocolate cake and let it cool. Garnish with fresh berries, if desired.

Photo and Recipe: Shaina Brock, pastry chef, Loyola University



View original article here
Sharing Great Gluten-Free Ideas
Food Management Magazine

Some of the best ideas for gluten-free menu items, ingredient substitutions and preparation methods can come from conversations with your customers.

Pastry Chef Shaina Brock’s flourless chocolate cake and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies have gained a ravenous following at Loyola University.

Brock, who did a stint making pastry at Disney World, knows that giving customers what they crave is absolutely key.

So there is an ongoing conversation and sharing of recipes among the gluten-free students and the bake shop staff, a few of whom eat gluten-free as well.

The idea for Chocolate Flourless Cake came from students, as did the Chocolate Fudge and Strawberry Cake.

Brock is careful to safeguard the bake shop to make sure there’s no cross contamination when gluten-free baking is happening. All gluten-free items are made in the beginning of the day, before any items with flour are made. Surfaces and equipment are washed down and since it’s the beginning of the day, aprons and clothing are free of flour. Tools for gluten-free baking are washed and then wrapped in plastic before use.

She uses rice flour and tapioca flour instead of regular flour, and xanthan gum as a leavening agent.

Some would ask, “Why go through the effort, when it’s become increasingly easy to purchase packaged gluten-free baked goods?”

“If you’ve ever tried Shaina’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, you wouldn’t be asking that question,” says Bill Zimnoch, resident district manager at Loyola.

 

Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake

½ cup water (optional: substitute black coffee for water)
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup white sugar
18 oz. dark chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
6 eggs

For the ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. semi sweet chocolate

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Oil one 10” round cake pan (can use vegetable oil).
  2. In  a saucepan over medium heat stir the water, salt and sugar until completely dissolved and set aside.
  3. Melt the dark chocolate in the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven (if in microwave heat chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring in between)
  4. Pour chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time.
  5. Add hot sugar-water, then slowly beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 300°F for about 35 to 45 minutes. (Note: the center will still look wet when it’s done)
  7. Chill overnight. Dip the bottom of cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and flip onto serving plate or board.
  8. Make ganache by boiling heavy cream in a sauce pan. Once cream is hot, pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth.
  9. Pour ganache over chocolate cake and let it cool. Garnish with fresh berries, if desired.

Photo and Recipe: Shaina Brock, pastry chef, Loyola University



View original article here