A couple of weeks ago, a girlfriend and I went to a cooking demo class after work. The theme was “Summer in Santorini” and the menu featured hummus, tabouli, baked eggplant rolls, shrimp pasta, and red wine poached pears. Everything was amazing, but I seriously couldn’t get enough of the pears! The chef pear-fectly paired the pears with So Delicious’ Cocowhip, but explained that she usually makes her own from scratch by whipping a can of cold coconut milk.

 

I decided to give the coconut whipped cream a shot and after a bit of experimentation worked out some of the kinks. I stuck several cans of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator for a little over a day, which upon opening, had separated the milk and the water. With my first attempt, I poured the entire can in the mixing bowl but struggled whipping it to a fluffy consistency. On my next attempt, I tried it again using only the solid milk portion, and it worked like a charm! I mixed the solid milk with 1-2 tbsp of granulated sugar and a tsp of vanilla extract for 8-10 minutes on high, scraping the sides occasionally, which resulted in the lightest and sweetest coconut whipped cream.

 

I served the whipped cream next to these easy roasted strawberries (also a great way to use up strawberries that are about to go bad). Using a pint of fresh hulled strawberries, I tossed them with sugar and fresh basil and roasted them over high heat for about 20 minutes. This method resulted in the berries releasing their juices and becoming sweeter, with a slightly tart aftertaste (this would be a wonderful topping for a cheesecake or you could reduce the juice with balsamic vinegar for a glaze), so it was the perfect compliment to the sweet whipped cream! The recipe below made the ideal amount for me and my husband, so if you’re expecting company I would double or triple the recipe.