Live, Love, & Eat in Sayulita: Strawberry Buttermilk Creams

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved creamy desserts with vanilla. Early on in my baking life, crème caramel was my go to dessert to serve or take to parties. As my experience grew, I often made crème brule. Yesterday I found a dessert that I just had to try in my Sayulita kitchen and I am so happy that I did. Strawberry Buttermilk Creams - I now have a new favorite! This dessert is simple to make, is very light and creamy, and muy delicioso! Vanilla flavoured cream! Yum! I made it twice reducing the sugar by half the second time and adding vanilla powder. The resulting recipe found me in dessert heaven, and all the ingredients are available here in Sayulita so I wanted to share this deliciousness with you!

INGREDIENTS:

-1&1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (called Grenetina en polvo) - I happily found it here in Sayulita at tienda Abarrotes y Perfumeria Guadalajara on Calle Playa Azul on the north side of the bridge. 

-4 Tablespoons granulated white sugar

-1/2-1 teaspoon granulated white sugar or to taste - this is for the strawberries

-1 cup buttermilk*

*Buttermilk does not seem to be available in Sayulita, so I use 1 cup regular milk combined with 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice. Stir together and then let sit for 10 minutes before using.

-1&1/2 cups whipping cream (crema para batir) - Alas Blancas always has it in the milk cooler

-1 teaspoon vanilla powder (again, I happily, and very surprisingly, found this at Alas Blancas)

-1 pound fresh strawberries (Fruteria Alejandrina) always has beautiful fresh strawberries**

**Strawberries are very heavily sprayed with chemicals, so please be sure to wash them well with soap and water, rinse thoroughly, and then soak in purified water with microdyn

-1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice for the strawberries

METHOD:

1. In small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 3 Tablespoons of cold water. Let it stand untilsoftened and jelly like, about 5 minutes. Heat over low, stirring, until gelatin has dissolved. This will only take about 30 seconds, so please don't walk away.

2. In a large bowl, Whisk 2 Tablespoons sugar into the buttermilk until dissolved

3. Whisking constantly, add dissolved gelatin to buttermilk mixture in a very thin stream

4. Beat whipping cream, adding 2 Tablespoons sugar and the vanilla powder. ***Beat until nice peaks form - not too stiff though because you are going to be folding it into the buttermilk gelatin mixture.

***If You cannot find vanilla powder, use same amount of pure vanilla extract

5. Gently stir 1/2 of whipped cream into buttermilk mixture

6. Fold in remaining whipped cream

7. Pour into eight 4 ounce ramekins

8. Refrigerate for 6 hours or up to 1 day, covered

9. When ready to serve or 1/2 hour before, slice strawberries, sprinkle with a bit of sugar and lemon juice

10. Stir to make sure all surfaces of the strawberries have a bit of sugar on them

11. Let sit for a few minutes to allow juices to run

GET READY TO SERVE:

-Top ramekins with strawberries and drizzle over juice

-For a beautiful presentation, run a sharp paring knife around inside edge of each ramekin, dip briefly in steaming hot water, just long enough to be able to unmold

-Cover ramekin with serving plate being certain that it is centred over ramekin, invert and gently lift off ramekin. If it does not release, dip ramekin again into your hot water and then follow release instructions again. This is a very delicate cream so be very gentle.

-Top with strawberries and drizzle on syrup 

-Dig right in! I promise that you will not leave a drop on your plate! Writing this column has sent my saliva glands pouring just from the thought of this delicious dessert. Lucky for me I still have two in my fridge. Bye bye, I  am off to indulge, again!