Recipe: Balsamic Whipped Cream

Strawberries, marshmallows and raspberries
were great for dipping

I am not a huge dessert person, but when I get the chance to combine the savory and the sweet, that is when you have my perfect dessert.  Most of the time I don't bother with dessert, although I do enjoy baking and just tried to make macarons for the first time! But, on Friday night I was invited to a friends house for dinner, and I would never show up empty handed.

I am also obsessed with balsamic vinegar.  One of those fancy places where you can taste a ton of different olive oils and vinegars just opened up in the Annapolis Town Center, near the Whole Foods where I do my grocery shopping, so of course the other weekend Scott and I had stopped in and we picked a couple of things up.  The place is called Cleo's Fine Oils & Vinegars and one of the vinegars we got is a 25 year old balsamic.  It is the perfect balance of sweet and sour, and it goes great on pretty much everything.  Drizzle it on pasta? Check.  Marinate chicken?  Check.  Put on ice cream? Check.

Heavy cream, powdered sugar and balsamic,
ready to start whipping

For this particular dessert, I knew I needed something good for a small group, that would travel well since they live about 30 minutes away, and would combine sweet, savory, light, and my balsamic obsession.  I had a hunch that a balsamic whipped cream would work and after some searching around the Internet, found that some people had done it.  I sort of winged it with amounts, and it worked out perfectly!

I served this with strawberries, marshmallows and raspberries, but it would go well with lots of fruits as well as sponge cake and cookies.  I have a feeling pretzels would also be good with this.

Balsamic Whipped Cream (4 generous servings, 6 regular servings)

The finished balsamic whipped cream

8 oz heavy whipping cream
1/8 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons REALLY good balsamic vinegar



Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until the cream forms light peaks.  Dip various fruits and sweets and enjoy.