Strawberries and Cream

Continuing on with Wimbledon traditions, today we have Strawberries and Cream.  The British take this simple dessert very seriously and at Wimbledon, it is as much of a tradition as the tennis whites the players are required to wear.  They pick the strawberries the day before and they arrive at the stadium at 5:30 a.m to be inspected and hulled.  The buttercream used is a double cream with at least 48 percent butter fat.  Apparently, this became a tradition in 1877 when the first Wimbledon event was held.  Both the tournament and the strawberries signaled the arrival of summer as this time of year used to be the only time strawberries were available in the U.K.



I made my own version of this dessert because being able to find strawberries off the vine and double cream would not be easy in Chicago.

Strawberries and Cream
Yield: 2 Servings

Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries hulled and sliced
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar (more or less depending on your sweet preference)
1/4 cup creme fraiche
1 tablespoon Cointreau
Mint for garnish (optional)

Method:
1.  Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the cream with the sugar until stiff peaks start to form
2.  Add the creme fraiche and Cointreau and whip the mixture just until mixture is combined
3.  In layers, add the cream then the strawberries and repeat until all ingredients have been used