The Future is Gluten Free
As a professional pastry chef for the past eight years, I can safely say that dessert trends are changing. It seems every wedding or large event I have done in the last six months has had a number of guests who needed specialized desserts.
The Order of Things
Prior to this, (and also considering the lull for COVID), specialty requests would be on a smaller scale—maybe the bride is gluten-free so just the top tier needs to be gluten-free, or two guests are vegan and need vegan desserts. But the volume and consistency of requests for gluten-free or vegan items has had a marked increase lately. It’s typical now to receive orders for full three-tiered gluten-free cakes or vegan cupcakes ordered by the dozen. Moreover, a lot of requests have been for items that are both gluten-free and vegan, which can be harder to accommodate.
This is a shift that’s affecting the whole industry all over the globe, from pastry chefs to the businesses that support them. Customers not only want their requests accommodated, but they want an expansion in the variety of treats that can be enjoyed by those on restricted diets. More chefs are offering master classes and creating recipe books specifically catered towards desserts that are free from gluten or all animal products. The demand for more vegan and gluten-free products has shifted so that a bowl of sorbet with fresh berries—which used to be the staple alternative—will no longer suffice as the only dessert option.
Reactions to Reactions Because of Reactions
Since more and more customers are asking for these types of specialty dessert items, it seems as if a whole new pantry of products to work with has popped up overnight. No longer are gluten-free flour alternatives available only at specialty grocery stores, but the scope and variety of these products is also on the rise, proof of the increasing demand for superior products that are both dairy- and gluten-free.
Coconut-cream-based vegan products no longer always have a coconut aftertaste to them, and with the addition of oat-milk-based products you can find dairy-free ice creams that are just as rich and creamy as the lactose-laden originals.
Gluten-free flour blends have come a long way from producing dense and gummy results to creating light and fluffy slice-of-heaven sponge cakes, while also allowing for a shift away from reliance on nut flours to create a superior gluten-free product. This has created an exciting new challenge for pastry chefs (myself included) to create variations of the gluten- and dairy-filled confections that we all know and love but in forms that everyone can enjoy! And the best part is, you might not even miss any of that dairy or gluten!
The Sweet Spot
Whether you have dietary restrictions or allergies that prevent you from eating certain foods or you are simply choosing to make changes in your food habits, I am hopeful for you, as this is one trend that I truly believe is here to stay—as gluten- and dairy-free dessert options continue to approach, rival and perhaps eventually surpass their traditional forebears in taste, texture and gut compatibility.
