The mandatory ingredients for the May Improv Challenge were strawberries and cream. Although there are countless tasty things you can do with those ingredients, Mini Me knew right away what we should make- Pink Fluff. This dessert is as simple to make as the name itself. Sweet, ripe berries are mixed with freshly whipped cream and topped with a brown sugar crumble, and the whole thing is put in the freezer so it can become a cold, semi-solid delicious summer dessert. Mini Me's birthday is smack in the middle of summer and she has chosen this many times over a traditional cake. It works for me because I don't have to spend hours with the oven on, and it can all be made a day or two ahead, so we can do lots of fun things on her actual birthday. This is recipe it not exactly new (it is from one of my mom's very old sorority cookbooks) but I have updated it to fit this decade- no more dream whip here!
You can substitute any frozen fruit for the strawberries- peaches, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries all work well, as does any combination of fruits. We like to use whatever fresh fruit is in season and just cut it into 1-2 inch pieces and freeze on a rimmed cookie sheet until frozen solid before using.
Pink Fluff
1 1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped nuts -optional
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar- a
1 10oz package frozen strawberries (or fresh strawberries, cut into chunks and frozen)
1 10oz package frozen strawberries (or fresh strawberries, cut into chunks and frozen)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Combine the flour, brown sugar, and nuts, if using. Mix in the melted butter and crumble on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Reserve about 1/3 cup for topping. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the egg whites, sugar, lemon juice, and frozen strawberries until light and fluffy, about 15-20 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice to make sure there are no big chunks of fruit.
In a separate bowl beat the heavy cream until about double in volume and slightly stiff.
Fold the cream into the berry mixture. Pour into the prepared pan, sprinkle with reserved crumbs and freeze until frozen, about 6 hours. Cut in serving size pieces and garnish with fresh strawberries.
printable recipe
printable recipe
You can easily make this in individual serving dishes if you have room in your freezer.
For more about the Improv challenge visit Kristen at the Harried Antics of a Frugal Homemaker
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