The quickest dessert ever involves taking your favorite slightly sweetened carb (e.g. biscuit, lime curd, graham cracker, fruit, etc.) and adding whip cream on top to make it fancy. A bowl of fruit and cream is severely underrated in this country. It can take five minutes to assemble cream and carb in a cute bowl and bring it out to your dinner guests while they digest the scrumptious main course on which you slaved away all afternoon.
Pick up a pint of heavy whipping cream (any brand) from the dairy area, usually by the refrigerated half-and-half, and prepare your hand or stand mixer ahead of time.
You will need:
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Sugar
- Vanilla Extract [Optional]
- Dash of Salt [Optional]
- Food Coloring [Optional]
Pop a metal bowl, preferably a stand mixer bowl, and whisk attachment in the freezer while you collect the ingredients. A few minutes in the freezer will suffice to make sure the bowl is very cold or even icy. Pour as much cream into the bowl as the recipe calls for (1/2 to 2 cups) and turn the whisk on. Let the hand or stand mixer whisk the cream while slowly adding sugar (1/4 to 2/3 cup). Sprinkle the sugar in while the whisk whips air into the cream. It will grow and become light and fluffy. Once all the sugar is added, pour in 1/2-1 tsp vanilla to taste, dash of salt, and any jolly food coloring. After a few minutes the cream will be whipped and able to keep its shape. Stop once it has reached a fluffy consistency, do not over-whip. It will be chunky, thick, and like curds if over-whipped.
If you over-whip, simply drizzle in more cream while the mixer runs on a low speed. It should return to an airy state and loosen.
Transfer the cream to a pipping bag fitted with a fun tip (star tip is popular) and pipe it onto your carb. Top with chocolate, preserves, candied nuts, or the works! Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Ways to use left over whipped cream:
- pancakes
- ice cream
- chocolate cookies
- cookie cake / angel food cake / shortcake
- neutral or sweet biscuits with preserves
- pudding
- pies / mini pies
- in custard to make a light cream (crème légère)
- eclairs / puff pastry
- doughnuts – bomboloni
- crepe
- coffee / hot chocolate
- yogurt parfait
- in tomato soup (substitute some of the milk)
Take-Home Tips: If you want to use the cream as a topping without sweetening it, perform the same whipping steps, omitting the sugar. I would still recommend the vanilla and less of the salt.
Food of the Month 