Valentine's Day should be special, and if you're fixing a romantic dinner, you'll want the perfect dessert to cap it off. Here's a roundup of delicious gluten-free desserts from around the About.com network — any one of these would make a great coda to your meal.
1. Apple Tarte Tatin
© Teri Lee Gruss
Gluten-free apple tarte tatin is thinner and more elegant than apple pie. It features carmelized apples and gluten-free pastry dough made from amaranth, almond and rice flours, which creates a crust that many people won't notice is gluten-free. Total prep time is nearly an hour (including 30 minutes for the pastry dough to cool in the refrigerator), so plan ahead.
2. Flourless Chocolate Cake
© Teri Lee Gruss
This flourless chocolate cake, another wonderful recipe from About.com's Guide to Gluten-Free Cooking, features a delicious chocolate glaze. Don't worry that the recipe only calls for a 7-inch pan — it's extremely rich, and a thin slice goes a long way. Top it with fresh raspberries if you can find them this time of year.
3. Baked Bananas (Dairy-Free)
© Ashley Skabar
If you're gluten-free and dairy-free, this baked bananas recipe will work well for you, and it's super-simple to make. All it takes is bananas, rum, spices, dark brown sugar, dairy-free margarine (Earth Balance natural buttery spread is both gluten-free and dairy-free, as well as vegan), plus dairy-free ice cream. For the ice cream, Turtle Mountain makes soy-based SoDelicious and coconut-based Truly Decadent frozen dessert products, some of which are considered gluten-free — access the list here.
4. Flan Caramel Custard
Getty Images/Thomas Barwick
Flan caramel custard is a traditional Mexican dessert that's naturally gluten-free. This recipe calls for little more than sugar, milk eggs and some spices (for reliably gluten-free sugar, I use Domino's Pure Cane Sugar). The flan does take nearly three hours to prepare and set up, so plan accordingly — in fact, it's better if you make it a day ahead of time. Also, caramelizing the sugar perfectly takes some practice.
5. Walnut Truffle Brownies
© Teri Lee Gruss
If you're in a rush or not feeling particularly motivated to make a Valentine's Day dessert from scratch, but you still want something deluxe, try these gluten-free walnut truffle brownies. They use a standard Gluten-Free Pantry mix as a base, but the addition of hazelnut oil makes them special. Top them with ice cream (vanilla and chocolate from Häagen-Dazs and Breyers are reliably gluten-free) and real whipped cream.
