Monday, April 7, 2014

Strawberry Fluff

This recipe was first discovered in a charity cookbook that has been living with the Pesach pots since the '70s. I've been making it for the last few years, and it has been eagerly gobbled up, yet I've always felt the method was a tad lacking; the juice from the strawberries would sink to the bottom and freeze into a solid, unappetizing sheet. 

Last year I was, for some reason, scouring for alternate versions of this recipe and discovered not different ingredients, merely prolonged beating. No frozen juice at the bottom of the Tupperware this time!

The strawberries and whites (no yolks) make it a practically nutritious, guilt-free dessert, and is a big hit with children and adults.

Despite the fact that it is a fantastic dessert option for all year round, and I mentally plan making it for any other Shabbos or yontif, it only seems to come to fruition for Pesach.  

Because the height is based on the whites and air, one can really add as much strawberries as one would like. Last year I made it with a whole carton of Costco strawberries that needed to be used up—two pounds, when the recipe calls for a pint—and three whites were perfectly sufficient.  

Strawberry Fluff 

1 pint to 2 pounds of strawberries, very finely sliced (the smaller, the better)
3 egg white
1 cup-ish of sugar  (more or less depending what you like)
2 T vanilla sugar 
1) Beat the whites in a LARGE bowl until foamy and somewhat stiff, then gradually sprinkle in about half of the sugar, until glossy and rather stiff. 
Doesn't look like much, does it?
2) Keep the beaters on a moderate speed; add strawberry bits slowly, making sure they incorporated before adding the next bunch. Add rest of sugar at this time. 

3) After all the strawberries are in, KEEP THE MIXER GOING FOR ANOTHER 15 MINUTES. I cannot emphasize this enough. All that beating is going to incorporate air, making the fluff grow higher and higher, as well as really working in the strawberries. That is why the LARGE bowl is necessary; those three itty-bitty egg whites will become quite a lot. 
4) Transfer into container of choice; freeze. 

5) It is soft and manageable straight out of the freezer; ready to serve, no defrosting necessary.            

6 comments:

rr said...

Yum. Would this work with another fruit? Like pineapple, or mango?

Princess Lea said...

Come to think of it, why not? Behold, a wealth of fruity fluff options!

shhh said...

any idea if this would work with frozen fruit? or would that extra moisture flop the whites

Princess Lea said...

As I recall, the first time I made it, I did it with frozen strawberries. I must say the taste was quite lacking, so that is why God gave us sugar.

But keep in mind there is plenty of moisture already in fresh fruits, and I don't think they really add much prior to freezing, just the freezing brings all the liquid to the surface, creating, upon melting, plenty of "syrup", which can be thoroughly beaten into the white.

I think the main concern would be that the fruit pieces are small enough to be palatable—no one likes breaking their tooth on a frozen, too-large chunk of, well, anything.

Go forth and experiment!

shhh said...

:) true that.
theres the ice, but if it worked then great! thx

Princess Lea said...

I think I had defrosted the strawberries first, if that helps.