July is the best season for apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums in the Mediterranean climate. My Grandma Elisa used to prepare a delicious jam from all four of these fruits and it was my summer favorite. When I saw the 'zero gaspi' fridge in my local supermarket my childhood memories popped up into my mind.
My Grandma was a very clever woman. She had creativity in her blood; just like many women of her generation who had to feed large families with little resources. Any leftovers or small portions were combined to create something extraordinary.
I learnt from her to do a weekly clean up of my fridge and pantry. One of the most important actions you can take to reduce/eliminate waste in your kitchens is storing your food wisely.
Always check, and store your new stuff to the back of your fridge/pantry and bring the older stuff forward. Otherwise you’ll forget at the back the ingredients that should be consumed first.
Learn how to check labels and dates. Be aware of the difference between expiry dates and best before dates. They don't mean the same thing!
A product’s “best before” date is only an indication of quality not safety. You can still eat food after its best before date though the flavor and texture may not be as best as before. Trust your senses: Look, smell and taste before throwing anything away. On the other hand the “expiration” date is the use by or ultimate date for consumption. Don't confuse the two.
More and more markets, food stores and specialty stores are participating to the fight against food waste here in France; as the French call it "gaspillage" or in short "gaspi". This "zero gaspi" fridge in my local store had cheese, yoghurt, milk, veal meatballs, chocolate mousse and some fresh stuff yesterday. The expiry dates of the products were short but perfectly edible, safe to consume. And the prices were one third of the original. Good for the planet, good for the budget 😉👍
I was lucky with the food waste fridge but not so lucky in my shopping of fruits. The apricots I bought were not tasty at all. Of course I was not going to throw them away, I was determined to give them a second life!
Here is my recipe of this month APRICOT&ALMOND GRATIN, to use up some 'not so tasty' fresh fruit, some fridge leftover stuff and create a delicious dessert. Very few ingredients, easy, fast, a perfect light dessert for a sweet summer moment. And bonus: it is refined sugar free and gluten free!
Give a try to the recipe. Serve it warm or cold. And why not double the pleasure with a scoop of vanilla ice cream?
Enjoy!
APRICOT & ALMOND GRATIN
8 fresh apricots
100 gr ground almonds
3 eggs
2 dl fresh cream (I used some leftover yoghurt)
75 gr honey
1 vanilla stick
Butter for the dish (optional)
40 gr flaked almonds for decoration (optional)
1- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter the dish. Cut the apricots into halves and put them in the dish, cut side down.
2-Beat the eggs in the bowl. Add the honey, yoghurt, and the ground almonds, whisking to obtain a smooth cream. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla stick and add to the cream, mix well.
3- Pour the cream on top of the apricots. Drizzle with some honey. Bake approx. 30-40 minutes until golden on top. Sprinkle with flaked almonds.
ps. What do you do if you are disappointed with fruits you have bought? I would love to hear from you. Leave me your message in the comments. Thanks.
