March 22, 2010

Strawberry and Cream



Strawberry & Cream


Chocolate, Cream and Strawberries – the classic combination.

Nothing much going on in these cups except for some whipped up cream, chopped strawberries, melted chocolate and mint – a fancy looking dessert created quickly in a kid friendly way.
Not much in the recipe, but quite a big snow to talk about; the white powdery stuff came down quite eloquently to welcome the spring this year. We were blanketed just when the spring blooms showed up nice and pretty! Unexpected and frankly speaking – freaky.

It is fantastic to see kids working in the kitchen, getting creative and apt and confident. This “no recipe” is actually perfect for kids; no cooking involved, minimal help required and at the end of it you have a pretty looking dessert and the sparkle in their eyes. Great when they have friends over and they need a little not so messy project in the kitchen and fix something for themselves and even better when at the end of the day the child is capable of making a dessert cup for everyone in the family while you sit and relax. I never really thought of posting this. DD1 saw the picture and whined “you haven’t posted this yet?!!!!” .. so here it is.

Spring brings in the vibrant, luscious red juicy strawberries. When we get to lay our hands on these fresh berries, we eat them straight till the fingers and mouth are stained pink.  Only after that do I start to get creative with them.. jam, juice, ice cream and other desserts. With a fruit and cream combination, this is a wonderfully flexible. I have written some options after the recipe; or create your own.

When you are enjoying a nice spring afternoon make yourself a cup of  fluffy cream and berries. Do you need a luxurious snack? Hosting a summer/spring backyard party? Have playdates for kids and want to involve them making a snack or dessert? This pairing serves all your needs!



Strawberry & Cream



Strawberry and Cream


Ingredients:

  1. Cream/Double Cream or Ready made Whipped Cream or Mascarpone Cheese (mascarpone is my favorite way to have the berries)
  2. Strawberries
  3. Sugar or Honey or Nectar
  4. Semisweet Chocolate Chips

For Garnish:

  1. Fresh Mint Leaves
  2. Chocolate Wafers – like kit kat (kids love it)



Preparation:

Wash, dry, hull & chop the strawberries.

Drizzle hone/nectar or the sugar on the strawberries and let them sit for about 15 – 30 minutes.

Melt the semi sweet chocolate & in the microwave; mix in some of the cream to form a chocolate mix like a thick ganache.

Whip the rest of the cream till it holds stiff peaks.

Layer a cup with the cream, then with the chocolate ganache, then some strawberries; make as many layers a you want.

Garnish with chocolate wafers & fresh mint.

Serve chilled.



Strawberry & Cream

Other Options:

  1. Use different fruits or berries or both. ( I love peaches, mangoes, pineapple and all other berries)
  2. Use nuts for a crunch.
  3. Combine liqueur with the fruit and cream for an adult version (amaretto, fruit liqueur, berry liqueur, kirsch etc)
  4. Use Greek yogurt or hung yogurt mixed with little bit of fruit/berry puree instead of cream/cheese. Makes a healthy alternative and a serves as a wonderful snack. A little drizzle of chocolate won’t hurt:-)
  5. good idea to macerate the fruits and berries.
  6. Add some lemon or orange zest to the the cream or when macerating the fruits and berries.
  7. Layer fruit/berry and cream with cookies/shortbread cookies or cake.

If you can come up with other variations let me know! always looking for easy fruit desserts….

Below are some more fruit and cream/yogurt recipes.



Related Posts:

Yogurt with Rose and Pomegranate

Sugar Grilled Mangoes with Saffron Yogurt and Nuts

Fruits Temptation

Mango and Cream


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