Many ready-made desserts and semi-finished products for them are leaders in the content of harmful substances: preservatives, thickeners, etc. If you want to pamper yourself with something refined and harmless, try whipping fresh cream yourself and decorating various fruits with it.
It is necessary
-
- 250 ml heavy cream;
- 2-3 teaspoons of granulated sugar or sifted powdered sugar;
- gelatin (if necessary);
- 1/4 lemon juice (if necessary);
- leaves of fresh mint or lemon balm.
Instructions
Step 1
Choose cream: pasteurized, fresh, at least 30% fat. You can use special cream marked on the packaging "For Whipping". Vegetable cream will work, but it tastes differently from natural cream.
Step 2
Chill the cream well: at least 2-3 hours before whipping, place the bag in the refrigerator. But not in the freezer - the frozen cream can stratify during cooking. Cool all necessary dishes, whisk, etc. in advance. Place the ice in a wide bowl - you will place the container of cream on it when you whisk.
Step 3
You can whip the cream with a whisk or mixer. Do not use a blender: its knives break the structure of the cream - even if the foam comes out, it can be uneven and settle quickly.
Step 4
Beat with a whisk in a circular motion in one direction, gradually increasing the speed. You will have to whip manually for longer, but the volume of the finished cream will also be larger, and the consistency will be more fluffy. this will allow more air to enter the cream.
Step 5
With a mixer, start whipping the cream at the slowest speed, gradually increasing the speed. As soon as the cream begins to thicken, slow down the speed of the mixer until it stops. Don't change the pace more often than 3-4 minutes. Whisking quickly right away can make butter instead of whipped cream.
Step 6
As soon as the whisk begins to leave marks on the surface of the cream, and they themselves become voluminous and fluffy, add sugar or powdered sugar. Fall asleep in a thin stream and do not stop whisking!
Step 7
Determine the degree of doneness visually: the cream should keep its shape well, form a so-called "soft peak" (or "nose") on the rim. Try the mass with your finger - when the hole stops tightening, you're done. You can whip it up to "hard peaks", the taste of such a product will resemble cream from spray cans.
Step 8
Well-prepared whipped cream can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. If the whipping rules were not followed, after a few hours the mass may settle or release liquid. Use stabilizers to lengthen the shelf life and to increase the stability of the cream, but these can affect the flavor. Add gelatin or a special cream fixer as soon as foam begins to form. Preheat the gelatin, stir until completely dissolved and cool. Mix only the cold solution with the cream. Prepare other fixers (sold in powder) and add to the cream strictly according to the instructions on the package.
Step 9
You can fix the cream with lemon juice. To do this, add the juice of 1/4 lemon to 200 ml of cream when foam starts to form. Keep in mind that this will not be the classic whipped cream: they look similar but taste different.
Step 10
If you can't find the cream you want, try whipping 20% in 2 steps. First, whip the chilled cream as much as possible, that is, until a weak foam state and put the dishes in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. During this time, the fattest part of the cream will rise to the surface. Tilt the cream bowl and drain off excess liquid. Beat the remaining mass in the dishes until the desired consistency.
Step 11
If the cream begins to flake in the process, immediately stop whipping and put it on a clean sieve. As soon as the excess liquid drains, you can start whipping again. If the problem reoccurs, then the cream was liquid or warm, you will not be able to whip it into a foam. But if you continue to beat them with a wooden spatula, you can get butter.
