whipped cream

Let's talk about something of importance here: whipped cream. If I were to compile a list of top tier holiday baking suggestions, serving whipped cream as an accompaniment to all things delicious would be right at the top. I know that it takes a bit of effort, but your time will be well spent. Especially if you sweeten it with a bit of powdered sugar and vanilla. It should be no surprise to most of you that I am a huge fan of Vanilla Bean Paste, and that is exactly what I use to make perfectly sweetened whipped cream. To achieve the fluffy, sweet, white goodness, here are my best tips.

• Chill the metal bowl, beaters (or whisk) you will use to whip the cream in the freezer for about 15 minutes for optimum results. Your cream will whip faster and more fully.
• Use powdered sugar rather than granulated sugar to sweeten the cream. It dissolves quickly and helps stabilize the cream due to the cornstarch in it.
• If you over beat the cream and you start to get butter, fix it by gently stirring a very small amount of additional cream into the mixture. Just don't continue to beat.
• You will get more volume from whipped cream if you hold off adding the sugar and extracts until the cream has been whipped to soft peaks.