Whipped cream

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Eating whipped cream feels like eating a fresh, soft, sweet cloud. It's a calorific bomb, but so good it's hard to resist! Whipped cream was first invented in 1660 by Vatel in the city of Chantilly in France.

Recipe for whipped cream
To make 500ml:
- 500ml single cream (up to 35% fat)
- 35g icing sugar
- An electric whisk (preferably multi-speed)
- A big bowl

Preparation:
- 1 hour before you start, put the whisks and bowl in the freezer. Place the cream in the highest part of the fridge, which is the coldest.
- Pour the cream into a bowl and add the icing sugar.
Start beating with the electric whisk, upping speed gradually every 30 seconds. Do not beat too long: the cream must be white in colour (when it starts to go yellow, it's starting to turn into butter!)
- When ready, either serve immediately or let the cream stand in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Do not take out until serving time.

7 tips for making whipped cream:

1 Use full single cream: not fat free or light cream. It's the fat that gives it it’s cloud-like texture. If you use cream containing less than 30% fat, you won't make it stand up. If you don’t have single cream, use double cream + 10% of its weight in milk to thin it out.

2 Place the cream, bowl and whisks in the fridge at least 1 hour before starting.

3 Do not beat it for too long to avoid turning it and getting lumps.

4 Do not keep it in the fridge for more than 24 hours. Cream goes off fast.

5 Flavour it at the beginning preferably, to avoid making it runny from mixing at the end and to ensure it stays light and fluffy.

6 Add icing sugar after whipping, or caster sugar at the start.

7 Handle with care so as not to make it runny.

Use whipped cream:
- To garnish eclairs, puff pastires, other cakes and pastries
- As a base for fruit or chocolate mousse
- To make ice cream
- To make Bavarian cream
- To garnish charlottes
- On the side or to decorate bowls of ice cream, profiteroles, pies, tarts and chocolate puddings.
- Savoury: either plain or with herbs added, whipped cream goes with smoked salmon, artichoke hearts, cold roast beef and salads.

Some suggestions
- Mix whipped cream with a mashed avocado to make avocado cream.
- Colour the whipped cream with ink of a cuttlefish and serve with carpaccio of scallops on toast or smoked salmon and eggs.
- whipped cream with mascarpone: use 1 part mascarpone to 1.5 parts whipped cream and add sugar to taste.
- whipped cream with chocolate: mix 500ml whipped cream with 200g cooled melted chocolate, carefully.
- Chocolate whipped cream: beat 250g melted chocolate with 200ml cream together until smooth, by placing the mixing bowl in a bain-marie or larger bowl filled with iced water.