I wrote 100+ recipes for Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies®, yet I just keep creating more.
That’s how Zero Waste Cooking works, and that is the goal of the book. I want you to learn more about food waste, and then get comfortable “sorta following” a recipe as you unleash your own creativity.
Zero Waste Desserts
As a special treat to my son, I made an authentic Tiramisu over the Easter holiday this year. I even made the lady fingers from scratch (I’m not super mom, it was just that I couldn’t find packaged ladyfingers in any local grocery store – yes, you can bake your own, and yes they are so much more delicious).
A few weeks after the holiday, it was my husband’s birthday, and I wanted to make him a special dessert. He loves lemon desserts, so I thought I could create something that used up a box of instant pudding that I had in my pantry.
Zero Waste Lemon Cream Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 1-ounce box lemon (or vanilla) instant pudding
- 1 cup lowfat milk
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese or light cream cheese (or neufchatel)
- 1 Zest and juice from one lemon
- 6 ounces lemon flavored vodka or limoncello
- 1 packaged lady fingers
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cocoa
Instructions
- Add the pudding mix, milk, lemon zest, 2 ounces vodka and cheese to a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined and creamy.
- Combine juice from lemon and 4 ounces lemon vodka in small bowl. Soak ladyfingers, one at a time, as you assemble the dessert. You’ll make 3 layers of soaked ladyfingers and cream, ending with cream.
- Add the first layer of soaked ladyfingers to bottom of a 3-quart baking dish, spread 1/3 of cream gently over this layer, add another layer of soaked ladyfingers and cream. Repeat, ending with cream.
- Mix powdered sugar and cocoa together in a small bowl. Using a fine strainer, sift the sugar mixture lightly over the top. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before serving.