By Karen Schulz

Whipped cream is seldom the front man of any dessert, but when I asked myself: “What foods do I think of when I think of Valentine’s Day?” Chocolate, oysters, and whipped cream immediately came to mind. I only eat oysters in the summer, on the half-shell on the beach, so I don’t have any fantastic oyster recipes to share. Whipped cream, however, definitely moves up in rank on Valentine’s Day, whether atop a desirable restaurant dessert, or sprayed out of a Reddi-whip can to add the finishing touch to a homemade cake. So, I have decided to share my new favorite, super-easy, whipped cream dessert worthy of any occasion.

Valentine’s Day falls on a Wednesday, probably an uneventful night of the week for many households. Well, this pink, fluffy, sweet treat is so easy you will look like a rockstar when you bust it out after dinner adding a little Valentine’s Day magic to an otherwise uneventful Wednesday evening.

I recommend whipping the cream before dinner, and putting it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. The trick to great whipped cream is using a cold metal bowl. Whip the cream a little extra to form stiff peaks so when you fold in the raspberry sauce, it doesn’t get too runny.

You can doctor up your presentation with a heart cookie and some fresh raspberries, or maybe some chocolate shavings.

Whatever you choose will be perfect and your family will feel the Valentine’s Day love, ensuring that it is anything but just another Wednesday.

<<Raspberry Love>>

Serves 4

<Ingredients>

½ cup raspberry jam

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

1 T. granulated sugar

1 cup fresh raspberries

4 cookies and/or chocolate shavings to sprinkle on top

<Directions>

In a large cold metal bowl, beat the heavy cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form.

In a small bowl, whisk the jam until smooth.

When ready to serve, fold the smooth jam into the whipped cream leaving it swirly-looking. Spoon into bowls and garnish with raspberries, cookies, and even chocolate.