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Strawberry-Coconut Cream

A chilled strawberry and coconut cream dessert set in a molded form.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Coconut and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,294 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Strawberry-Coconut Cream

Timeat least 4 hours

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the base

  1. In a small bowl combine gelatin and water; set aside.

  2. In a medium saucepan combine 2 cups coconut and 1 1/2 cups of the milk. Bring just to boiling over medium heat.

  3. Add gelatin mixture; stir to dissolve gelatin completely.

  4. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Make the strawberry coconut cream

  1. Combine one basket of the strawberries and the remaining 1/2 cup milk in a container of electric blender. Blend until smooth; set aside.

  2. In a large bowl whip cream and vanilla to form soft peaks; add strawberry and coconut mixtures.

  3. Fold with rubber spatula to blend thoroughly.

  4. Pour into a lightly oiled 5-cup mold.

  5. Cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.

  6. Meanwhile, slice the remaining strawberries and toss with sugar; cover and chill.

Unmold and serve

  1. To serve, dip mold briefly into hot water; invert onto serving plate to unmold.

  2. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

  3. Garnish with some of the sliced strawberries and the mint.

  4. Serve with the remaining sliced strawberries.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

616Calories
18 gProtein
41 gFat
48 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Coconut1/2 cup shredded (40g)283
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Strawberry1 cup (152g)49
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Gelatin1 envelope (7g)23
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Waternot in our table0
Peppermintnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Coconut + vanillatop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  3. Gelatin + creamtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,628 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

  4. Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,778 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Vanilla + sugartop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Vanilla and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Unflavored gelatin
Sets the cooled coconut and strawberry mixture into a firm, sliceable mold.
Whipping cream
Adds richness and an airy, light texture when whipped to soft peaks.
Sweetened shredded coconut
Infuses the milk with coconut flavor and adds body to the cream.
Lowfat milk
Provides the liquid base that the gelatin sets in and carries the coconut flavor.
Fresh strawberries
Provide fruit flavor, color, and natural sweetness to the cream.

The step that matters

Cooling before folding. Gelatin must be cooled to room temperature before it is folded into the whipped cream. If it is still hot, it can melt the cream and deflate the foam, and if it is too cold it can set in lumps, so the mixture would not set evenly.

Swap the mint

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (gelatin, coconut, milk, cream, vanilla, sugar):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Nutmegfits better
  3. Peppermintfits better
  4. Mintthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against gelatin, coconut, milk, cream, vanilla, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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