The inspiration for this recipe came from a bowl of beautiful pears that were winking at me from the end of my kitchen counter top. As always, I googled for ideas and came across this delicious recipe by Justine Schofield from Everyday Gourmet. Her recipe was not gluten free so I just tweaked it (only having to substitute the flour and baking powder for the gluten free variety and using pure vanilla extract as I didn't have a VANILLA POD at my disposal today) the rest was as easy as A-B-C
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
zest from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
150ml milk
110g butter
150g almond meal
5 Tbs gluten free plain flour
1 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
2 pears roughly chopped (I used 3 as mine were small to medium in size)
100g blueberries (I used frozen and they were fine)
Pre-heat oven to 180°C
Grease and line a rectangular slice tin.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla together until the sugar has dissolved.
Melt butter and add to milk. Mix into the egg mixture until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold together with a wooden spoon until an even batter has formed.
Add the blueberries and pears and combine.
Cook for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
(As a guide - I cooked my slice for approx. 40 minutes but I was watching the top carefully and only removed from the oven once the skewer test confirmed all good)
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So thanks for the great recipe Justine. It turned out fab.
I'm often surprised at the amount of people that buy frozen lasagna then lament about how bland it tasted.. and yet they keep on buying it.
I'm sure its a time-poor thing. Yes, buying ready-made (just heat and eat) is convenient but making lasagna at home is REALLY easy AND takes less time than you think. Plus I am yet to find a frozen GLUTEN FREE version anyway so if you want it, you've got to make it yourself! Our family eat it at least once a week. Do you think I would be making it this regularly if it was a chore? Pfft.. I think NOT.
So I'm happy to share what I do.
You can use fresh Gluten Free lasagna sheets if you can find them otherwise I use SAN REMO gluten free instant lasagna sheets and they always deliver a great result. I have also used CASALARE gluten free instant lasagna sheets and they work just as well.
1. Preheat your oven to 180° and lightly grease a lasagna dish (roughly 20cm x 30cm and deep enough to do about 3 layers - say 5-6cm)
2. Add a tablespoon of oil to a large fry pan (I like to use Rice Bran Oil but that's just me). To this add 1 teaspoon of fresh garlic (approx 1 clove OR the jars or tubes of minced garlic are really handy and keep well in the refrigerator for around 6-8 weeks). Add your mince (approximately 800-900grams of quality beef mince ) and brown. About 3-4 minutes.
3. Now you can make your own sauce but there are plenty of store bought sauces that are fantastic and gluten free by ingredient. You don't need to stick to the health food aisle of your supermarket - just use your label reading skills and you have a myriad of sauce options at your fingertips. Need help reading labels - click here → A Guide to Reading Labels. If you have time to make your own sauce, good for you (seriously.. good for you) - knock yourself out. Here's even a good recipe you might like to try - Homemade Tomato Pasta Sauce (Taste.com.au)
4. Add your sauce to the mince, turn the heat down to a minimum and let the meat sauce simmer while you make your bechemel sauce. Bechamel Sauce!! What! That sounds fancy and complicated. Well it's not. It's basically butter, gluten free cornflour, milk and a pinch of nutmeg - and it's easy. You can add some Parmesan to your mix but I figure with the amount of cheese I add on top of the completed lasagna, we could probably do without the extra cheese.. just saying.
5. So I add 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of butter to a small saucepan (on gentle heat) & while that's melting add 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of gluten free cornflour and mix with a whisk until your ingredients thicken and become a roux. Remove from heat, add your milk slowly and keep stirring until your mix is completely blended and smooth. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Turn off the heat and set aside.
6. Assembly time. A layer of meat sauce, then a layer of lasagna (3 pieces is usually sufficient to fit into this size dish). Then 2 more layers but this time with meat sauce, BECHAMEL sauce, then lasagna. Your final layer will not require a pasta top - instead top with a generous amount of grated cheese & finish with a sprinkling of dried Italian herbs. Then into the oven for 45 minutes it goes.
Bon Appetit
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