STRAWBERRY FOOL

If you love whipped cream, then a Strawberry Fool is the dessert for you. With whipped cream and swirls of strawberry puree, it is a mouthful of pillowy, airy, and fruity goodness! Serve some for a special Valentine's Day treat!

      

Happy Valentine's Day!! I hope you have great day! It's after 1:00 am and the hubs and I got back home little while ago from a Valentine's dinner cruise that our daughter graciously sent us on. It was fantastic and the food was superb! The only downside was it took only two minutes to freeze our faces off walking from the cruise ship back to the parking garage because it was literally subzero out. During the cruise I did my duty to help finish off a bottle of champagne as well as an espresso martini. Now I just want to go to sleep, but before doing so I have to get this post out of the way. So, if there are a few flubs in the post, you'll know why! My guess is by the time I'm done, I will have caught my second wind and won't be able to fall asleep tonight.

I was not sure that I would have anything to share with you this week, but I was able to sneak this one in by the skin of my teeth! How ironic, because at the beginning of the week I had a recipe picked out and even conducted a partial recipe testing. Then without a replacement in mind, I felt the need to scrap the recipe because it was a savory dish. Since I haven't done a Valentine's Day type of dish, one was in order. After flip-flopping, it finally occurred to me that a Strawberry Fool is the perfect solution.

This dessert is English in origin. After reading from a number of sources, I concluded it might have originated in the 15^th, 16^th, or 17^th century (great research skills, huh?). Since I don’t really need the hard facts, let’s just say fruit fools have been around for a while! Traditionally, it was made with custard and stewed fruit, but the modern version uses whipped cream and pureed fruit. All I have to say is whoever came up with the idea must have had me in mind, because I LOVE sweetened fresh whipped cream (you don't know how many times I just want to scarf down a large bowl of it)! Fruit fool is all about a whole lot of whipped cream and a good amount of sweetened pureed fruit. Sounds like a magical combination to me!

Fruit fool is creamy, fruity, and pillowy. It tastes light, with a just the right amount of sweetness. What’s great is you can completely control the amount of sweetness to suit your taste without affecting the integrity of the dessert. Usually the dessert is prepared with mashed uncooked fruit, but I like to cook mine until the juice is reduced and becomes syrupy. It's up to you to choose the method you'd like to take.

The pink and white tones in this glass of whipped cream lusciousness is perfect for Valentine’s Day. For a garnish that adds texture and light crunch, I topped it off sugar wafer cookies and candied beads. Even though it is already Valentine's Day, if you are still looking for a last minute treat, here is a perfect one for you. Enjoy!

More desserts you would like:

• Drunken Strawberry Coconut Trifle
• Strawberry Brownie Ice Cream Cake
• Fruit Filled Taquitos
• Rustic Banana Berry Galette
• Poppy Seed Strawberry Poke Cake with Pink Lemonade Whipped Cream Frosting

STRAWBERRY FOOL

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INGREDIENTS:

1 pint strawberries, reserve a couple for garnishing
2 tbsp. granulated sugar (or more to taste)
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup powdered sugar
sugar wafer cookies or cookie of choice for garnishing
white candied beads for garnishing 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut tops and hull strawberries. Cut into chunks. Add granulated sugar. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes. Coarsely mash using fork. Place in a saucepan on medium heat. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes to reduce liquid. Spread in a large shallow dish and refrigerate to cool. Alternately, you can skip the cooking and just let the strawberry and sugar sit for at least 10 minutes prior to mashing then just fold into whipped cream.

Beat heavy cream until it doubles in volume. Add powdered sugar. Continue beating to obtain stiff peaks (peaks holds shape when scooped up). When fruit is cooled, fold gently into whipped cream. Stir just enough to obtain pink and white streaks. You don't want to blend it completely into one uniform color.

Scoop whipped cream mixture into 2 large or 4 small goblets. Slice reserved strawberries. Top goblets with some crushed and whole sugar wafers, candied beads, and sliced strawberries. Served chilled. Makes 2-4 servings.

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YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE OTHER RECIPES

Drunken Strawberry Coconut Trifle

Strawberry Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Mini Mint Chocolate Icebox Cake

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