The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
6-5-2017 Column
June Dairy Month celebrates all that is good about the products we produce. Many will claim ice cream, yogurt or a tall cold glass of chocolate milk as their favorite dairy product. Mine hands down is a finger swipe of sweetened whipped cream! It is too bad that with all of today’s conveniences we have forgotten how easy and sweet it is to have real whip cream on a bowl of fresh strawberries. I am guilty of grabbing a container of non-dairy topping in the freezer section because I don’t think I have time to whip up some whipped cream. I need to change my shopping habit.
Making whipped cream can be as quick as flipping the switch on your mixer or as fun as handing a jar for kids to shake. Like anything in the kitchen, there are a few tricks to keep in mind. Everything needs to be cold, the cream and the utensils. I put my mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer 15 minutes before I’m ready to start whipping up the cream. You can even put ice cubes in a large bowl and then place your mixing bowl on top of the ice cubes to keep things chilled while you whip up the cream. The coldness helps the cream whip up quickly and helps increase the volume.
Now some people feel the best way to whip cream is by hand. It doesn’t take that much longer and you can fit in your arm exercises. The best thing about whipping cream by hand is that you don’t have to worry about over beating the cream. You’ll tire out before you reach the butter stage. To test if the cream has reached the soft peak stage, just lift the whisk straight out of the bowl, flip it over and see if a dollop falls slightly off to the side. Then it is just right. If you use a mixer, start on low speed as you gradually add the sugar and vanilla. Then you can speed up a little bit to dissolve the sugar and increase the volume of the cream. Just remember not to over beat the cream. It will eventually turn to butter if whipped too much. If you want to hand off the job to the kids, fill a jar half full with all the ingredients. I would use powdered sugar with this process for more stability. Seal the jar and start shaking till thickened.
As milk comes in different percentages (whole, 2%, 1% and skim) so does cream. While milk can be interchangeable without losing nutrient values, creams can not be substituted for each other. The greater the butterfat content, the better the whipping abilities. Look for whipping creams or heavy creams with a butter fat content of at least 30 to 35%. Coffee creamers are generally around 20% butter fat while half-and-half is only 10 -12 % butter fat. Another thing to keep in mind while you’re looking the dairy section of the store is that ultra high pasteurization whipping cream will have a much longer shelf life. That way you can always have some whipping cream on hand in your frig at home for those surprise guests. Nothing dresses up simple brownies than a dollop of whipped cream on top!
With fresh strawberries just around the corner and light summer desserts on the menu, whipping up a batch of fresh whipped cream to top off your June Dairy Month is simple. Enjoy.
1 c. heavy cream or whipping cream, cold
3 TBSP sugar (granulated or powdered)
1 tsp vanilla or other flavor extract
Whisk together until soft peaks form.
Do not overbeat. Keep refrigerated.
1 stick butter
1 c. water
1 c. flour
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Boil butter and water. Add flour. Stir to form a ball. Cool 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time. Beat with spoon. Spread in bottom of pan. Bake until brown 30 – 40 minutes. Cool.
3 c. milk
11 oz cream cheese, softened
2 small packages instant vanilla pudding
1 c. heavy cream, whipped
Chocolate syrup (optional)
Beat the first three filling ingredients together until thickened. Pour over cooled pastry. Spread whipped cream over top. Drizzle chocolate syrup over top for decoration if you want.
As their 4 children pursue dairy careers off the farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their Minnesota farm. (Natalie grew up in Stronghurst, the daughter of Becky and the late Larry Dowell.)