How to Make Heavy Cream

Heavy cream is an idyllic ingredient that can be used for almost any kind of dish that comes to mind, be it for a sauce in a meal, as a cream base for desserts, as a topping for cakes or cupcakes, and is even used in milk shakes. Heavy cream has a very subtle taste but when coupled with other ingredients, it amplifies a hundred fold in terms of flavor.

It is also known as heavy whipping cream, and its fat content ranges between 36 - 40%. When it is whipped into submission, it increases in volume becoming airy and fluffy as you beat it up. It isn't the same as British double cream, as the latter contains 48% fat, which is much more than what is available in other countries.

To make whipped cream, you need to beat milk, along with sugar, and vanilla extract (optional). It isn't mixed with anything else, since by beating it and giving it enough air, it will automatically fluff up. Heavy cream on the other hand is made without beating this mixture.

Making heavy cream at home doesn't require much work, since all you need are two key ingredients. It is an easy and a smart way of having heavy cream on hand if you don't already.

What You'll Need:

• Whole milk, ¾ cup
• Unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon
• Flour, 1 teaspoon

All you have to do is mix together butter, milk, and flour (thickening agent) ensuring that the mixture has merged well. The butter has to be melted or softened down so that it blends easily with the other two components. This homemade heavy cream sauce is meant for cooking purposes and shouldn't be beaten like in the case of preparing whipped cream.

To make the most of this insanely easy recipe, you'll find here a dish that no one would ever dare to not love - pasta. I remember putting together the creamiest of pastas once, using one milk solid that doesn't fail to bring out the best in a dish - butter.

Butter is known to emulsify when subjected to immediate heat, causing it to thicken (in the presence of starch to emulsify it) as it blends into the mixture resulting in a sauce that never fails to taste heavenly. So, instead of opting for a complicated emulsifying act, I'm going to show you how to use heavy cream to make a sauce for your pasta dish.

What You'll Need:

• Garlic cloves, 4
• Medium-sized piece of ginger, 1
• Julienned capsicum, 1 big piece
• Spaghetti, 1½ cup
• Heavy cream, 1 cup

• Medium-sized shrimp (pre-poached), 1 cup
• Parmesan cheese shavings, ½ cup
• Roughly chopped red onions, ½ cup
• Unsalted butter (for flavor), 1 tablespoon
• Chili flakes, 1 tablespoon
• Salt to taste

• Before beginning, keep your pasta for boiling with a little olive oil and salt added to it. Let this cook while you tend to the sauce mix.
• Take a nice deep-bottomed pan and let it heat up gradually on medium high. Pour in about two tablespoons of olive oil and let the heat build up.

• Then, drop in the butter and allow it to melt on medium high. Finely chop up garlic and ginger and add to the pan, sautéing (for 10 seconds) it briefly before it browns. Next, dump in the onions and capsicum.

• Wait for the onions to slightly brown and continuously toss them to not let them stand in the oil.
• Then, drop in your poached shrimp, coating them evenly in your buttery sauce mix. Let this sizzle on the fire for about 5 minutes as you turn your shrimp every now and then.

• Lastly, pour in your heavy cream and mix up the contents of the pan around.
• Then, let this simmer on a low flame for about five minutes with the top of the pan covered.

• Then, turn the gas off and let the sauce cool while you drain your pasta once it is soft enough to be taken off the boil.
• Put pasta in a big bowl and pour the sauce mix into it. Use two forks to mix these all up together nicely.
• Then, plate up your pasta, and to finish this off, shower your ready-to-eat pasta with the Parmesan shavings and chili flakes.

Heavy cream is an incredibly easy ingredient to work with. And, with frequent use, you'll come to know how simple it is yet a major meal changer when it comes to richness and flavor.