Voilà! Gluten-Free Vegetable Lasagna with Gluten-Free Béchamel!

Sans Gluten Lasagne aux Légumes Recette!

More and more people are being diagnosed with "gluten Intolerance." This is an autoimmune disorder and different from Celiac Disease in that it is difficult to diagnose. The 300 symptoms can range from vitamin D and B12 deficiencies to crippling body pain.  Gluten-free is not a fad diet for the millions of people who live with it.  I highly recommend reading about this topic to become aware of symptoms and how it affects the people around you.  Good resources include:  The Gluten Intolerance Group,  www.Gluten-Intolerance.com and National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

What is eating "Gluten-Free-Sans Gluten?"  There are many misconceptions.  "Gluten-free"  is not vegan or no carb.  Gluten-free eating means you can eat and drink anything except food, sauces and beverages made with wheat, rye, barley and certain oats.  Some people are so sensitive to gluten, they are unable to eat in a restaurant or a home that prepares other dishes with regular flour due to cross-contamination.  Gluten-free foods you see at the stores are made in certified gluten-free facilities.

**Mainstream restaurants and bakeries cannot offer certified gluten-free options unless wheat, rye and barley have never been used in their kitchen.  This greatly restricts the lives of people who are Celiac and gluten intolerant.

"Gluten is not a protein itself , but rather a protein composite composed of the proteins glutenin and gliadin (in wheat), secalin (in rye) and hordein (in barley), which are elastic proteins in the protein family known as prolamins. Gluten is insoluble in water and comes from the endosperm within the seeds of grass-related grains...

Recent research and current gluten intolerance statistics suggest that 5% to 10% of the population may suffer from some form of gluten intolerance, and yet a vast majority of these individuals have not yet been properly diagnosed...

Celiac disease is triggered by consumption of the protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the finger-like villi of the small intestine. When the villi become damaged, the body is unable to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, which can lead to malnourishment....1 in 133 Americans have celiac disease...

 Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity is currently a little more difficult to pinpoint.  Individuals who suffer from NCGS suffer very similarly to people with Celiac Disease, but the blood test which identifies and diagnoses celiac disease returns as negative. The only way to confidently diagnose NCGS is through a gluten free diet..."

This lasagna recipe is delicious! I was curious how béchamel sauce would fair.  I have been experimenting with gluten free flour mixes and I used King Aurthur's Brand Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour for the béchamel recipe.

You can add other vegetables to the dish.  It is important to season veggies with salt and pepper.  **No boil lasagna noodles are well suited for vegetable lasagna dishes because the pasta absorbs the moisture. If using the gluten-free pasta, be sure to let most of the moisture evaporate from the vegetables while sauteing.  My favorite gluten-free pasta is Tinkyada Brand.

Ingredients
Serves 4-6 Adults
6 T gluten-free all purpose flour mix (or regular)
Gluten-free lasagna noodles (or no boil regular)
2 cans artichoke hearts (or feel free to use fresh artichokes)
2 bunches organic washed baby spinach or organic frozen
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot, minced
1 small yellow onion, 1 large piece
1/4 C fresh basil, minced (OPTIONAL)
1/4 C fresh parsley, minced (OPTIONAL)
1 bay leaf
1 dash cayenne pepper or Tabasco (OPTIONAL)
2+ C mozzarella cheese
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
2 C organic whole milk
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

Directions
-Boil gluten-fee lasagna noodles with salt and follow box directions (Gluten-free pastas need to be cooked to al dente). Drain and set aside to cool.
-Wash spinach well with cold water and drain.
-Drain artichokes and rough chop.
-Mince garlic and shallot and sweat med low heat w 3 T olive oil.
-Add frozen or fresh spinach and saute until most of the moisture evaporates.
-TASTE
-Add salt & pepper and TASTE.
-If using mushrooms or other veg, saute them separate until most moisture evaporates and set aside.
-Add artichokes, mushrooms and any other veggies to spinach and cook for 5 minutes.
-Season with salt & pepper.
-TASTE.
-Turn off heat and set aside.
-Place no boil lasagna noodles in water and let soak for 5 minutes.
*Preheat oven to 375.

Spinach and Artichoke

Béchamel Sauce
-Warm 2 C of whole milk on med low heat w 1 bay leaf and a few large slices of onion. 
-Remove from heat when milk begins to boil and cover for 30 minutes.
-Drain milk and take out the bay leaf and onion.
-New sauce pan, med low heat, melt 3 T butter.
-Add 6 T of gluten-free all purpose flour and stir until blended (regular flour can be used).
-Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until thickened.
-If sauce seems too thick, add more milk little by little.
-TASTE
-Add 1/2 t salt and fresh ground black or white pepper.
-TASTE.
-Add dash of cayenne pepper or Tabasco (this works well with vegetables)
-TASTE.

Consistency of Béchamel

Build your lasagna

-Spray baking dish with non stick spray or olive oil.
-Place some béchamel on bottom of baking dish.
-Build lasagna - Pasta, spinach mixture, béchamel sauce (use plenty!), Parmesan cheese, mozzarella.

Ready for the oven!

-Take lasagna out of oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

Serve & Enjoy!

I will be posting many gluten-free recipes in the near future!

Stay Warm! BABA au RHUM!

Baba au rhum is a cake popular in France and Napoli, Italy.

BABA au RHUM @ CHEZ GEORGES, PARIS

It was cold in Boston this weekend and it inspired me to make baba au rhum.  I had this delicious rum soaked dessert cake in Paris.  Chez Georges Restaurant has been open since 1964 and run by the Brouillet family for 3 generations.  They are well known for their classic Lyonnaise cuisine and specifically Baba au Rhum.  We enjoyed "Sole Georges" and ordered the baba. 

Our waitress arrived to the table with a large baba cake and a big unmarked bottle.  We watched in disbelief as she saturated the cake.  She finally lifted the bottle, smiled and said, "fini, bon appétit."  Minutes later, we were officially warm inside and "Baba-ded."

Baba History

"Baba cake is called "Bakka" in Poland and "Father's Cake" in Turkey.  Some say the word BABA in French means, "falling over dizzy,"  World renowned Chef Alain Ducasse serves baba au rhum as a signature dessert at his Michelin restaurants... 

Baba cake was brought to Paris, France by the King of Poland, King Stanislas Leszczyunska, the father-in-law of King Louis XV of France, when he was exiled to Lorraine.  According to one legend, he found the customary kouglopf too dry and dipped it in sweet wine.  He was so delighted that he named the cake after his hero Ali Baba from his favorite book, A Thousand and One Nights.  Later, his chef refined the sweet bread by using brioche dough and adding raisins to the recipe..  The cake was then called, "Baba." 

The Julien brothers, famous 19th century pastry chefs, then redefined the baba cake and baked it in a ring mold, omitted the currants and added the rhum syrup.  They named the cake a "Savarin," in memory of renowned gastronomic philosopher, Brillat-Savarin (1725-1826)."

Whether you call it savarin or baba, you will enjoy this dish on a cold winter's eve or serve to a group of friends!

Home version BABA au RHUM

Preparation

Baba is forgiving to prepare because you will be saturating it in sugar syrup. I have had it at many restaurants and the plating is simple and not fancy. Using a simple muffin pan at home will do just fine.  The rhum syrup makes it memorable (or not). Children can enjoy baba with warm honey or maple syrup. This is a delicious recipe and it is worth the effort! 

You can use a food processor with the dough piece or standing mixer with the dough hook.  You can use large bundt, mini bundt, cannele, muffin, bread loaf or popover pans. This will require you to watch the baking process carefully.  Do not use non-stick pans for the baba as they will brown too quickly.  The cakes can be made a few days before serving.

Ingredients
Makes 10 medium babas
1 T dry yeast
3 T warm water
2 C all purpose flour or bread flour
1 t salt
3 eggs beaten
3 T dark rum
1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
1 t orange zest (OPTIONAL)
1 t lemon zest (OPTIONAL)
3/4 C currants, raisins or dried cherries (OPTIONAL) I love cherries!
Powdered sugar (OPTIONAL)
Vanilla pastry cream or whipped cream (OPTIONAL)
**High quality maple syrup or honey for children
Cake molds

Rum Syrup
2 C sugar
3 C water
1/2 C dark rum (or more to taste)
1 t high quality vanilla
** for children, use warmed maple syrup or honey in place of above recipe.

Instructions
-Add the yeast to the warm water, stir and set aside.
-Sift the all purpose flour with the salt and sugar.  I use a tight strainer for this and shake up and down.
-Add flour to food processor with dough piece or standing mixer with dough hook.
 -Add the yeast mixture slowly. 
-Add the eggs.
-Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic about 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. 

**Dough will be sticky more like a batter vs dry like bread dough.  See below.

-Cover dough in the mixer bowl with damp towel, allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.  

While dough rises:
-Take 1 stick of butter out of refrigerator to let soften.  You will add all this butter to the dough.
-Use additional butter and grease the molds liberally and place in refrigerator.
-Prepare the rum syrup. Boil water and sugar for 3 min and add the rum stir for 2 minutes.
**Prepare the vanilla pastry cream or whipped cream, and chill in refrigerator. (OPTIONAL)
**Soak the dried fruit in rum. (OPTIONAL)

After dough rises
-Preheat oven to 400.
-Dough should be doubled in size.
-Pulse mix the dough for about 1 minute to deflate the air.
-Add the softened butter and mix until dough is smooth again.
-Add the lemon and orange zest. (OPTIONAL)
-Add the dried fruit. (OPTIONAL)
-Using a spoon, fill the buttered molds half way with dough.
-I push a few rum soaked dried cherries to bottom of each with toothpick.
-Cover and allow to rise again in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Baking
-Place molds in oven and pay close attention to the baking process.  Baking time will vary according to what size mold you use so do not leave the kitchen during this time. 
-The baba is finished when the color is golden brown and the cakes separate from the sides of the molds.  

I used an everyday muffin pan. See below.

**If using a large bundt pan, leave baba in the mold and use long skewers to pierce cake to better absorb rum syrup. 

Serving
-Warm the rum syrup, take off heat and add the vanilla.
-Warm the maple syrup or honey if using.
-Place each cake in the mixture and saturate.  Spoon the syrup over the cakes for 2 minutes to allow absorption.  The cakes will enlarge a bit.
-Fill pastry bag with chilled pastry cream or whipped cream to garnish the cakes. (OPTIONAL)
-Place extra syrup on plates before plating the baba. (OPTIONAL)
-Orange or lemon rinds for decor. (OPTIONAL)
-See my simple plating below! 

Enjoy & Stay Warm!  Bon Appétit!

Acccording to the "Friends of Tarte Tatin Organization"    Sisters Stéphanie (Fanny) and Caroline Tatin served this dish to hotel guests after forgetting to use 2 pastries for apple