Santa Strawberries and Cream

Coconut is a surprisingly versatile plant, from it we can derive sugar, flour, electrolyte rich water, milk and the fruit flesh itself either fresh or dried. Best of all, we can make it into whipped cream. Cans of full fat coconut milk separate into coconut cream and coconut water, the trick is to chill it in the fridge so that the cream part hardens up at the top of the can and becomes easy to separate from the coconut water. There are some advantages to using coconut cream, from a utilitarian perspective it stays together whereas regular dairy cream will separate, so it can be made a day or two in advance and stored in the fridge. Nutritionally, I made a little comparison chart based off the labels of two containers I had at home:

Coconut cream Whipping cream
1 tablespoon (15 mL) 1 tablespoon (15 mL)
Calories 28 45
Fat 2.75 g 5 g
Saturated fat 2.25 g 3 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 15 mg
Sodium 3.75 mg 5 mg
Carbohydrates 0.5 g 0 g
Sugars 0.25 g 0 g
Protein 0.25g 0.3 g

There is not a huge difference in these numbers and the discrepancies would not matter much unless you ate them all yourself in one sitting. What these numbers do not show are how well the body can digest and utilize the nutrients in these different creams. Dairy dan be pretty difficult to digest for many people (less so for fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir) and combining it with fruit can be hard on the system. Since coconut is a fruit, it is a good substitute that can be much more gentle on our bodies.

The biggest benefit of coconut cream is that it works for weird diets so if you’re entertaining vegans, vegetarians and dairy-free or paleo people you can serve them all something like this and the fresh strawberries provide enough vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to pacify even the biggest health snobs. Personally, I do prefer whipped coconut cream over the original, I find that it tastes a bit richer, fresher and creamier. It does definitely have a coconut flavor though so it is not as adaptable as regular whipped cream which is more neutral tasting and takes on other flavors better.

I have two options here, the Santas and the Santa hats. For both it is better to use smaller strawberries so these can be eaten in one bite, giant strawberries would get pretty messy. The final yield for the hats is 16, and for the Santas it is around 24, give or take a few according to variances in strawberry size.


Chocolate wafers for the Santa hats, wax paper works best as a liner while they are setting because it makes them easy to lift away
Plastic bag option if you don’t have a piping bag, if using a smaller one like this it can be easier to control if you just fill it with half of the cream at a time
Twist the bag as you go, this pushes all the cream out and ensures that the bag is easy to control

Santa Strawberries and Cream
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 16-24 pieces
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pint strawberries
  • For Santas: 30-40 mini dark chocolate chips or around 1 ounce dark chocolate cut into slivers (for the eyes)
  • For Santa hats: 1 100g bar dark chocolate
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Place the coconut milk in the fridge for a few hours, ideally the night before making this. The cold will help the cream harden at the top of the can so it will be easier to separate from water. Around 10 minutes before making this place the mixer bowl in the freezer to get really cold. While it is chilling get the chocolate and strawberries ready.
  2. For the Santa hats start with the chocolate by breaking it into small pieces and melting it in a small pot over medium low heat, stirring frequently. Once it is fully melted place a teaspoon at a time on a wax paper lined baking sheet. Just pour the chocolate straight down and it will spread out into an even circle on its own. Place it in the freezer for a few minutes, until after making the whipped cream, to harden back up. Wash the strawberries and cut the leaves off the top.
  3. For the Santas make an additional cut near the base of each strawberry, the cream will go in between to be the face.
  4. Now bring out the coconut milk and bowl. Turn the can upside down and open this end of the can to pour out the coconut water (save it and add to smoothies or soup for an exotic flavor). Scoop the remaining thick cream (which would have risen to the top of the can when cooling) into the bowl with the maple syrup and vanilla and turn the mixer on full power until the cream is really thick and forms peaks. It should take about 2-3 minutes, if you stick your finger in and then pull it up the cream should rise up slightly, following the path your finger left.
  5. If you have an icing bag, set it up with a small circular tip and load in the cream. Alternatively use a thick plastic bag (freezer Ziploc bags are good) and make a very small cut in one corner and load that up.
  6. For the Santa hats, take the chocolate pieces out of the freezer and place a strawberry on top of each then pipe the cream all around the base of the strawberries and finish with a dollop on top.
  7. For the Santas, squeeze out two little drops for the buttons on the larger base strawberry then set that down and pipe the cream out in a spiral shape, starting in the middle and winding around until there is enough to cover the surface of the strawberry, put the top piece on, it will press the cream out on all sides a little and stick in 2 chocolate chunks or chips for eyes.
  8. Keep in the refrigerator before serving, but try not to make it too far in advance to ensure the strawberries stay nice and fresh.


Leave a Reply

Post Navigation