Technique Tuesday: Whipping Cream

Once you try homemade whipped cream, you will throw away any canned whipped cream lurking in your refrigerator! It's one of those delicious techniques that you can make a million different ways for so many different purposes. Homemade whipped cream is one of those added touches that is sure to impress your family and any guest to whom you serve it. At my house we use whipped cream on a variety of desserts (particularly shortcakes and cheesecake) or as a topping for crepes (recipe coming soon!).
There are a few basic rules to making great whipped cream:
1) Start with cold heavy cream and a cold bowl. This will help you whip your cream quickly and efficiently. I usually pop a metal bowl into the freezer for about five minutes before I make whipped cream. I also don't take the cream out of the refrigerator until I'm ready to use it.
2) Sweeten the cream with powdered sugar or white sugar; more or less depending on how sweet you want your whipped cream to be.
3) Don't overwhip your cream! It becomes like butter if you overwhip it. Make sure that you are stopping when your cream develops soft peaks.
4) Experiment with different flavors. Adding cocoa powder, crushed peppermint sticks, different alcohols like Bailey's or Creme de Menthe, vanilla or flavored extracts (raspberry, lemon, cherry just to name a few) gives you a fancier version of your whipped cream and compliments a variety of different desserts.
5)When adding whipped cream to a recipe, make sure you are folding the cream in, not stirring it. Folding the cream helps retain the cream's fluffiness while stirring it in removes the air that you just whipped into it.
6) Don't skimp on the type of cream you're using. Heavy cream ONLY please!

Basic Whipped Cream:
1 cup of heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar

Combine cream and sugar. Beat with a whisk or electric mixer until soft peaks form. Serves 4-6 (or 2 at my house!).