Cream and Strawberry Baskets

Cream and strawberry baskets are a fresh and delicious dessert, perfect for spring and summer. Here’s how to prepare them:

Ingredients

• 250 g of ready-to-use puff pastry
• 250 ml of fresh cream to whip
• 30 g of powdered sugar
• 1 sachet of vanillin or vanilla extract
• 300 g of fresh strawberries
• Extra powdered sugar for decoration
• Butter for greasing the molds

Preparation

1. Start by preheating the oven to 180 °C.
2. Roll out the puff pastry and cut out circles slightly larger than the molds you’ve chosen to use with a pastry cutter or a knife.
3. Lightly butter the molds and line them with the puff pastry circles, making sure the edges adhere well and prick the bottom with a fork to prevent it from puffing up during baking.
4. Place the molds in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, then bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is well browned and crispy.
5. While the baskets are cooling down, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanillin until it is very firm.
6. Wash the strawberries, pat them dry gently, and cut them into pieces, leaving some whole for the final decoration.
7. When the puff pastry baskets are completely cool, carefully remove them from the molds.
8. Fill them with the whipped cream, add the strawberry pieces and finish with a dusting of powdered sugar and a whole strawberry for each basket.

If you want to add an Italian touch, you might consider flavoring the cream with a bit of orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or replacing some of the strawberries with slices of peaches marinated in wine or a raspberry sauce.

Curiosity

Cream and strawberry baskets are a simple and sophisticated version of dessert that can be customized in many ways. Originating from the world of French patisserie, they lend themselves to becoming a vehicle for Italian creativity, for example by adding a touch of limoncello to the whipped cream to flavor it or replacing the strawberries with other seasonal fruits.