5 New Ways to Serve Strawberries and Cream

Every week, baking expert Alice Medrich will be going rogue on Food52 -- with shortcuts, hacks, and game-changing recipes.

Today: Five quick, refreshing ways to update a classic summertime combo. 

Who doesn’t love a bowl of lush ripe strawberries with fresh whipped cream? Here are my favorite variations on that theme.

1. Strawberries with Sour Cream (or Crème Fraîche) and Dark Muscovado Sugar
Serve whole unhulled strawberries and separate bowls of sour cream or crème fraîche and dark muscovado sugar. Let guests help themselves, dipping the berries in the cream and then dipping in (or sprinkling with) sugar. 

2. Strawberries With Crumbled Halvah and Cream
Crumble halvah over halved or quartered berries. Top with whipped cream and more crumbled halvah.  

3. Strawberries and Rose Cream
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of rosewater to 1 cup of cold heavy cream before whipping it. Adjust the sugar and rosewater to taste toward the end. Serve with strawberries. 

4. Strawberries with Raspberry Sauce and Cream
Puree and strain fresh or thawed raspberries. Thin with a little water or juice from thawing if you want and then sweeten to taste. Spoon over sliced or quartered strawberries and top with lightly sweetened whipped cream (or rose whipped cream)

More: First things first -- practice two methods for quickly hulling strawberries.

5. Strawberries in Red Wine with Whipped Cream
Macerate whole small berries (or large berries cut in halves or quarters) for an hour at room temperature in red wine sweetened to taste with about 2 tablespoons of sugar per cup of wine and a little squeeze of lemon juice. Chill up to an hour and serve with a little of the wine poured over, topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

More: The only tricks you need to know for the perfect whipped cream.

Alice's new book Seriously Bitter Sweet is a complete revision of her IACP award-winning Bittersweet, updated for the 54%, 61%, and 72% (and beyond) bars available today. It's packed with tricks, techniques, and answers to every chocolate question, plus 150 seriously delicious recipes -- both savory and sweet. 

Photos by James Ransom