Strawberries & Cream

In the summer of 2012 I studied abroad in London. I had many shenanigans, rode many tubes, and ate A LOT of food.

I went to Jamie's Italian in London!
I went to Jamie’s Italian in London!

I think about that trip pretty frequently. Strawberries and cream is a famous dessert in London and no denizen will let you leave the city without trying it. I opted out of the dish as a whole since I’m lactose intolerant, but I did eat some British strawberries.

If you ever find yourself there, and Brits keep telling you British strawberries are better, believe them. They’re not being snobby, British strawberries really are the best. Here we breed to get bigger strawberries, and to get as many as possible. They often end up not even being red all the way through. The strawberries I had in London were much smaller than what is typical in the U.S., and taste so much better. I actually ended up having a pretty bad allergic reaction from the strawberries and could only eat a few. I’m generally allergic to strawberries but not so allergic that I’m deterred from eating them.

Anyway, this is my recipe to recreate strawberries and cream! It’s pretty darn simple.

IMG_4080Ingredients Notes

Be sure to use full fat coconut milk! The light stuff won’t yield as much cream. Also try to find coconut milk that doesn’t have thickeners or homogenizing additives. You want it to separate in the fridge, and those additives will prevent that.

I used powdered sugar as a sweetener, you can use other sweeteners like maple syrup. I prefer maple syrup if the cream is being paired with peaches. The amount  you use will vary based on how much cream you have and your personal taste.

Technique Notes

Remember to refrigerate the can for 24 hours, and then flip over right before you open it. The water will pour right off and you’ll have lots of thick cream. Save the coconut water for a smoothie (or just drink it if you’re into that).

 IMG_4064

 

Print Recipe
Strawberries & Cream
A variation of the British Favorite
Servings
Ingredients
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. The first and most important step is to put a can of coconut milk in the coldest part of your fridge for a full 24 hours. This is how you separate the fatty cream from coconut water.
  2. After 24 hours have passed, take out the can and flip it over. Open it and carefully pour out the water on top (remember, you flipped it, so that was previously the bottom). Don't throw out the water! Use in a smoothie.
  3. The amount of cream you end up with can vary. I ended up with about a cup, maybe a bit more. Here it is while still chunky.
  4. Whisk the cream and add your sugar and vanilla. This won't necessarily be in the amounts listed for the recipe. Put in a tablespoon of powdered sugar and a 1/4 tsp of vanilla, whisk, and taste. The amount of sugar and vanilla you use will depend on your personal preference and the amount of cream you have.
  5. Slice up your strawberries (or you can just leave them whole).
  6. Put a dollop of cream on the strawberries and enjoy! You can use the coconut cream as a dip instead, but this is more like British strawberries and cream. Let your strawberries come to room temperature for the best flavor.
Share this Recipe
Powered by WP Ultimate Recipe

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.