Of Whipping Cream…

Before moving to Brazil, I was a child of Cool Whip.  For me, the topping you put onto pies, cakes, and sundaes came from the freezer and had to be thawed.

In Brazil, we couldn’t find Cool Whip. 

We were left with two options. 

The first was a box of powder that after being added to liquid and beaten made something that resembled whipped cream but by no means tasted like whipped cream.

Our second option was real whipped cream.

In Brazil, a lot of dairy comes from either boxes or cans and is shelf stable.  We bought our first box of whipped cream and carefully put it into the fridge since warm whipping cream won’t whip.

After pulling it from the freezer we got out our transformer (Brasil is 220 and all appliances we’d brought from the States including our Kitchen Aid were 110).

We hooked up the mixer in the living room to the nearest transformer and crowded around to watch our whipping cream turn into luscious whipped cream.

Excitement grew as the cream thickened more and more.

Excitement faded as the cream began to clump together and we realized we had created butter.  Butter is all very good but not quite as exciting as whipped cream.

We did eventually learn to whip cream properly.  We abandoned all the boxes of chemicalized powder in favor of real, genuine whipped cream.

And became whipped cream snobs.

After our return to the States, with Cool Whip in abundance, I find I no longer enjoy the taste or the thought of the chemicalized fluff.

So, although I find whipping cream in a carton in the refrigerator section of the supermarket, rather than in a can on the shelf, I find myself committed to the pursuit of real whipped cream.

In honor of whipped cream, I’ll share a favorite recipe from Brasil.  I have Americanized it so there is no need to pursue the more exotic ingredients.  If you wish to make that version, look up Mousse de Maracuja on a search engine.

One can of sweetened condensed milk.

Enough juice to fill the can and perhaps a little extra if you like things tarter.  You can use pure passion fruit juice, which is the proper way to make it.  I was unable to find it in any local supermarkets so I used lemon juice instead.  It is important not to use any juice that is sweet or the result will be too sweet.

A small carton of whipping cream.

Combine the condensed milk and juice.  Whip the whipped cream being careful not to turn it into butter.  Fold in the juice/milk mixture.  Refrigerate until chilled.  

Enjoy!