When I was a kid I always thought that dipping strawberries into cream looked like the greatest idea anyone had ever had. In our house whipped cream was something we would get every once in a while on a special occasion as part of a dessert. You ate it serenely on top of something wonderful and appreciated it because it was a rarity. Fast-forward to a few days ago, listening to The Sporkful—a wonderful podcast centered around eating and human behavior—and the host, Dan Pashman, proclaims that his new years resolution is to eat more home made whipped cream. I am struck. Me too Dan, me too. Let’s eat fruit and whipped cream right now, in the middle of winter. Today I experimented with frozen mango and raspberries and fresh oranges. All were great, but raspberry was probably the favorite.
So growing up whipped cream was a special treat, but I longed to just put my fingers in some whipped cream like in the cool whip commercials (yes I know, not real cream—but I didn’t know that! I was a kid!). I couldn’t believe you could even do that, just eat whipped cream with stuff… I felt like the people doing that inhabited another world.
When I first moved out on my own and realized that if I could manage to scrounge together the cash, I could eat or make whatever I wanted, I made whipped cream. I don’t even remember what I was dipping in it. It was besides the point. It was incredible. Unfortunately I lived (and still do live!) with someone who does not share my affection for whipped cream, so I rarely indulge the full fantastical display of decadence that my childhood imagination created for adult-me.
Well I no longer want to let little Leanne down. Maybe it’s because I’m going to have a daughter in the next few months, but I’ve been thinking a lot about myself as a child lately and here is one thing I can do for her.
Adult me is going to eat whipped cream! It’s also an incredibly easy and quick treat that, contrary to my early-90s-childhood ideas about nutrition, in which fat was the ultimate enemy, we now know lightly sweetened cream is not so bad in moderation.
Final thought: In moderation is key. Don’t have more than one serving of this at a time. Your adult stomach will not be impressed if you go beyond that (ahem).
Whipped Cream meets Fruit
Ingredients
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups berries or chopped fruit
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer add the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip with a whisk or electric beaters or stand mixer until soft peaks form in your whipped cream. Give it a few more whisks just to make sure it's at the stiff, yet still pourable consistency of properly whipped cream. Do not over-mix or you'll end up with sweet butter, which is not what we're going for here.
- If using fresh fruit, simply chop it up into bite-sized pieces, or if using smaller berries you probably don't need to do anything to them.
- If using frozen fruit, either thaw at room temperature until the fruit no longer has ice crystals clinging to the outside, but still holds it's form. Or you can microwave the fruit for a short time, maybe a minute or so, to defrost faster.
- Pile about 1/2 cup of fruit into each bowl or glass. Add about 1/4 cup of whipped cream into each glass and either leave in as is or mix it together as I did in the photographs above. ENJOY!
