Strawberries filled with Cream Tested Recipe

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Strawberries and cream are perfect together and this is a slightly different way of combining the two. I came across this recipe while browsing through Mary Berry's "Desserts and Confections" where she aptly describes these cream filled strawberries as looking like "flowers". Each strawberry is cut with an 'X', starting at the top of the strawberry and down almost to the bottom.

The 'petals' of the strawberry are then spread apart and filled with a cream made with mascarpone cheese and heavy whipping cream, with a little sugar and vanilla added for sweetness. These are simply delicious when made with flavorful strawberries with the added bonus that they can be assembled a few hours in advance of serving.

Mascarpone pronounced mas-kahr-POH-nay is a soft unripened cheese that belongs to the cream cheese family. It comes from Switzerland and Italy and is a thick, buttery-rich, sweet and velvety, ivory-colored cheese produced from cow's milk that has the texture of clotted or sour cream. It delicate and mild flavor is great with fresh fruit and is probably best known for its use in Tiramisu. Produced mainly in the fall and winter it is sold in plastic 8 ounce tubs and can be found in specialty food stores and in the deli section of some grocery stores.

You want the strawberries to sit flat. So if they are a little wobbly with the stems left on, cut the green stems off the strawberries so they will stand upright when placed on your serving tray. With a small sharp knife, cut an "X" in each strawberry, cutting almost to the bottom of each strawberry. (The cut should be such that the strawberry will open up but not fall apart.) Gently, with your fingertips, spread each strawberry apart to make "petals". Set aside while you make the cream filling.

In a medium sized bowl, whip the mascarpone cheese and whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Spoon the cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip (I used a Wilton 1M tip). Pipe the cream into the strawberries. If not serving immediately, cover, and place in the refrigerator until serving time.

Preparation time 15 minutes.

Recipe:

16-18 large strawberries

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream

2-3 (24-36 grams) tablespoons granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract