Now that it’s officially summer time, I’m sure there are a lot less of us in front of our computers on Fridays. Hopefully, you’re outside enjoying the weather or headed somewhere fabulous for a weekend vacation.
If not, I have a tasty dessert recipe to share with you! Now that I’m officially a country bumpkin with a REAL kitchen (not a wall inside of a studio apartment), I feel excited and inspired to try new things in the kitchen – techniques and foods I never would have dreamed of trying to tackle in my tiny little NYC studio.
My goal is to explore one new “kitchen adventure” every week, but given that it’s summer and I’m me, every other week is probably more realistic.
For my holiday dessert, I was on a mission to make homemade whipped cream….
The End of a Love Affair
In the past on the Sometimes Healthy Living Blog, I talked shamefully about my love for Reddi Whip. In fact, my coworkers even took pictures of me shamefully inhaling it straight out of the can in my little cubicle.
Shockingly, it was a major stress reliever!
Anyway, I digress.
The point is – I loved whipped cream in general. It takes all desserts over the top, and I could eat a cup of it with sprinkles and chocolate syrup and be a happy Sometimes Healthy Girl.
It never crossed my mind that I could actually MAKE my own. After all, homemade whipped cream is for the Martha Stewart types who make tartlets and pie crusts from scratch. Not Sometimes Healthy girls who just learned how to cook a piece of CHICKEN a year ago.
I cook in high heels y’all.
Nevertheless, as we shopped for groceries for our Memorial Day cookout and some fresh blueberries and strawberries caught my eye, I decided it was the perfect time to give homemade whipped cream a whirl (pun intended).
Whip it Good…And Google Away
I can’t remember a world without Internet. How did I get by without Google and YouTube? When I decided to make homemade whipped cream, google was my first resource.
Thank the lord for Real Simple – the magazine had the perfect demo on their website. In the demo, they mixed manually. I decided to go with an electronic mixer – I’m lazy like that.
I must say, the procedure for my first Kitchen Adventure was really REAL SIMPLE (pun intended again).
Into a bowl went 1 cup of chilled cream and 2 tbsp of vanilla extract (we’re vanilla lovers in this house).
Whippin’ away!
I mixed away on low for about 2 minutes and then added 2 tbsp of sugar as the whipped cream began to thicken up. I beat it for about three more minutes until it firmed up.
Thicken up!
And then I tasted. And, just like that, my love affair with Reddi Whip is over. This stuff is SO much better.
Now, that’s some quality whipped cream!
I also made some coconut whipped cream for later using 1 tsp of coconut extract. Careful with that stuff – it’s strong!
Two things I learned:
1) You cannot cut FAT corners. I tried lowfat cream for kicks. Just use the full fat goodness. Cream isn’t supposed to be low in fat.
2) It needs to be chilled. When I made the second round of cream, since it had been out of the fridge for a while, it was warmer. It actually took double the time to stiffen up.
One another note about the recipe below. On our trip to Newport, we stumbled upon an olive oil store, where we were able to taste dozens of olive oils and vinegars.
mmmmm….yummy!
Such a great idea! I have never seen this type of store, but pretty sure these are the “next big thing.” I fell in love with the fig vinegar, because it was sweet, but not over-the-top. So, I actually utilized in this recipe, but any balsamic vinegar will do.
Tastes as delicious as it sounds.
Berry Cream Supreme
Red, white, blue and berry-licious. This semi-homemade treat is the perfect summer dessert to serve guests when you are hosting. Homemade whipped cream, a blueberry compote and mason jars combine to make this recipe not only delicious, but fun to eat too.
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients: (makes 4 mason jars)
For the Cream
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract (or extract of your choice – maple would go well)
For the Compote
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup fig balsamic vinegar (or any balsamic)
For the Base
- 1 store-bought angel food cake
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 lb strawberries
Instructions:
- Chop up angel food cake into 1 inch pieces and strawberries into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
- In large mixing bowl, pour in 1 cup of chilled whip cream and 2 tbsp of vanilla. Mix for two minutes with hand mixer on low until cream starts to stiffen up. Add in 2/3 cup of sugar and mix for 3 more minutes until soft peaks form. Pour into tupperware and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- In large skillet pan, bring blueberries, water and lemon juice to a boil. Mix in sugar until dissolved and pour in vinegar. (use corn starch to thicken if desired).
- Layer in strawberries and blueberries, angel food cake and then whipped cream. Repeat process three times (it’s okay if it overflows – just smash it down!). Top with generous portion of whipped cream and blueberry compote.
So there you have it, simple, easy and fun! The perfect Sometimes Healthy Recipe! Here’s what it looked like in the kitchen.
This was a huge hit with the BF – he ate it up in about 3 minutes. The best part is smushing everything together and then tasting the delicious flavor combinations.
mmm.mmm.mmm
I need some help deciding what my next adventure should be. Here’s what I am thinking:
- Scones: I LOVE scones, but the recipes have always intimidated me. It seems like a bit of an exact science, and I’m not so…exact. However, I found a great recipe in Woman’s Day that seems perfect to start with.
- Marinara Sauce: Again, I’ve always wanted to make my own from scratch…but I’m not Italian. And I was convinced that’s only for Italians. However, I’d love to give it a try and pair it with some spaghetti squash!
- Cupcakes: You all know I love cupcakes. But, I have a confession to make…I’ve never actually made a cupcake from scratch. Should I give it a try?
Alright, help me out readers – which one of the above should I try? Or, if you have other suggestions, please share in the comments section.
Now, I’m headed for a hot n’ sweaty run with the pup. It’s summer time!
Looks like a great recipe to serve my houseguests this weekend! Was looking for something fun and easy ;-). I think you should go with the scones…mainly because I want to make them too!
Thanks for reading! I hope to give them a try – I love me some scones 🙂
We made homemade whip cream in one of my cooking labs and nothing from a tub/can will taste as good 🙂
I agree – so glad I gave it a try!
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