Strawberries and Cream, Done Right
Strawberries and cream as always, but done properly: the strawberries macerate first with sugar and a few drops of lemon and make their own syrup — that syrup is half the dessert. The cream is whipped only to soft peaks and barely sweetened.
Two small things make the difference. Wash the strawberries with the hulls still on, so they do not drink water through the cut, and hull them afterwards. And stop whipping at soft peaks: taken further, the cream stiffens and loses the point of the dish.
Ingredients
- 500 g ripe strawberries
- 3 tbsp sugar
- A few drops of lemon juice
- 300 ml heavy cream (double cream), well chilled
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Method
- 1
Wash the strawberries with the hulls on — that way they do not absorb water — and only then remove them. Cut them in halves or quarters depending on size.
- 2
Toss them with the sugar and a few drops of lemon and refrigerate for 30 minutes: they will give off a pink syrup that is half the dessert.
- 3
Whip the well-chilled cream with the powdered sugar and the vanilla to soft peaks: it should hold the marks of the whisk without them disappearing, but stay creamy. Overwhipped, it loses its charm.
- 4
Assemble in glasses: a layer of strawberries with their syrup, a layer of cream, and repeat, finishing with cream and a whole strawberry.
- 5
Serve cold, just assembled. If you make it ahead, keep the strawberries and the cream separate and put it together at the last minute.
More Recipes with Strawberries
Peak season depends on where you are — late spring to early summer in the northern hemisphere, spring in the southern one — but you will find them in the shops most of the year. They are at their best in cakes, shakes and homemade jam. Recetop tip: buy them in season, wash and dry them well, hull them and freeze them in zip bags; that way you always have a handful ready for smoothies.
