If you’ve had the pleasure to visit the Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona, chances are you’ll want to recreate the dishes you had there, like this over-the-top rich gluten-free molten chocolate cake.
Rich gluten-free molten chocolate cake recipe
Gluten-free baking often requires several different types of flours and starches in one recipe, and it’s important to be sure they are thoroughly blended. In this recipe, I use a whisk to combine the sorghum and tapioca flours, the potato starch and the xanthan gum, along with the powdered sugar, to make sure my dry ingredients are homogenous.
Yields 10 individual cakes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sorghum flour
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter or Smart Balance
- 8 ounces 64 percent dark chocolate
- 1 banana
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- Berries, for serving
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 10 (4 ounce) ramekins with nonstick baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sorghum flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum and powdered sugar. Set aside. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave or in a double boiler.
- In a separate bowl, mash the banana until almost smooth. Add the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and Grand Marnier and incorporate into the chocolate-butter mixture. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins and bake for about 15 minutes, until the sides of the cake are set and the center is slightly jiggly. Run a knife around the edge of the ramekins and invert onto serving plates.
- Serve hot with fresh berries.
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All about balance
To some, a resort stay means pure decadence and indulgence, lounging around and being lavished on with food, drinks and maybe spa treatments. At the Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona, it’s all about mindfulness and helping guests to live life in the moment. The Miraval philosophy emphasizes a balanced life: intensity and relaxation; action and stillness; and exploring the world around us. The resort applies this balance to food as well, and its spa cuisine is made using natural, low-fat ingredients, whole grains and lean proteins.
Meals to recreate
In Miraval’s Sweet & Savory Cooking, you’ll find more than 100 of the resort’s recipes from a husband-and-wife team (he’s the executive chef and she’s the pastry chef) that are made to be recreated by the guests, and anyone who picks up this book. You’ll find yourself paging through recipes for desserts, breads, entrees and more. The best part is that these recipes are both chefs’ favorites, and are naturally lower in fat and calories.
Before you get to the beautiful, full-page images and mouthwatering (yet simple) recipes, discover the chefs’ tips for proper kitchen equipment, from cutting boards to spatulas to knives. Their comprehensive pantry notes are also included, and you’ll find an array of ingredients from nuts and seeds to flours to grains. Interestingly, there are many gluten-free recipes included in this cookbook, across all categories and for both sweet and savory dishes.
About the authors
Justin Cline Macy is the executive chef at Miraval Resort & Spa, where he has honed his culinary skills and expertise in spa cuisine since 1999. He enjoys exploring diverse cultural cuisines and pushing the boundaries in his cooking by combining international flavors while staying true to spa cuisine’s goal of creating nutritious, appetizing dishes. He has appeared as a guest on several national broadcast shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, and The Millionaire Matchmaker. He has developed the “Evening with the Chef” weekend series, as well as the In-Villa Culinary Program for Miraval residential villas. Justin is also a contributing author of Mindful Eating and Mindful Living Miraval.
Kim Macy pursued her passion for cooking as a career and graduated with honors from Le Cordon Bleu at The Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2004. She has managed the pastry department at the resort since 2007. Her work has been showcased in major publications, including the Arizona Daily Star, Arizona Foothills magazine, and Shape magazine. Kim teaches two live cooking demonstrations a week for Miraval guests and has been a repeat guest chef on local morning television shows. A contributing author of Mindful Eating and Mindful Living Miraval, she has also participated in a recent segment featuring Miraval that aired on the Tennis Channel’s Fit to Hit.
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