summer berries and earl grey cream sounds summery, but maybe not explicitly fourth of july. let me explain. there’s the very stereotypical red (strawberry), white (whipped cream) and blue (blackberries and blueberries). it’s a nod to america’s english roots, due to the british propensity for tea and tea time, as well as wikipedia’s claim that brits find earl grey to be “posh.” and did i mention that berries and cream is a traditional english dessert? but this version is also very american/millennial. i was originally planning on making this as a traditional ice cream, then it evolved into no churn ice cream, and then all of a sudden i had a bowl of whipped cream. millennial laziness? perhaps. the berries could also be seen as a nod to the american willingness to turn everything into a “superfood,” including berries. and because i don’t know when to stop: here’s a link to fall out boy’s “fourth of july”. the dichotomy between posh summer berries and earl grey cream with pop punk (which i affectionately term emo music, though fall out boy is on the lighter/more mainstream side of the spectrum) is quite hilarious to me.
it’s berries and cream, how could you go wrong? unless you don’t like berries or whipped cream, at which point you are probably my brother. who only recently started adding beans to his burritos (previously only meat, rice, cheese and lettuce) because he thought his coworkers (he works at that fast casual chain known for charging extra for guac) would judge him. ANYWAYS. the cream tastes light even though we know it isn’t, and it has a hint of citrusy, and dare i say smoky, tea. i’m weary of labeling it as smoky since someone once unappetizingly described a blend of coffee as “smoky like a cigarette.” promise it’s not gross like that though.
you could change this up a bunch of different ways. i used strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, but anything you like works. highly recommend mangoes if you’re not going for that fourth of july color scheme. you could do individual portions on a plate or in a trifle cup, or you could set a platter of fruit and a bowl of whipped cream on the table and let the animals have at it.
1 year ago: Apricot Melon Basil Popsicles, Anaheim 2016
2 years ago: Laura Vitale’s Granola Bars, Matcha Cake with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
3 years ago: Chicken Dijon
This dessert of summer berries and earl grey cream is simple but cures all of your juicy, sweet, creamy dessert cravings.
- 1 T ground Earl grey tea
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream cold
- 1 T maple syrup or honey to sweeten
- fresh fruit
- toppings sesame seeds, crunchy salt, fresh mint or basil, bergamot zest, etc
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In a medium bowl, whip the tea, vanilla and heavy cream until medium stiff peaks form. You can also do this in a mason jar (make sure to screw the lid on tight!) and shake it til you make it. Add maple syrup or honey to taste.
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Serve the berries with the cream, and any toppings you want.
I used 1 pint strawberries, 1 clamshell (6 oz) blackberries and 1/2 cup blueberries here. But anything fresh and sweet goes!
more strawberries??
This recipe is just the kind of thing that I love. Love earl grey and fresh berries at this time of year, perfect!
same! i think i single-handedly (okay, almost single-handedly) mowed down a 2lb container of fresh blueberries last weekend. at leas they’re a superfood, right?!
This sounds like the perfect summer dessert! The berries and freshly whipped cream keep it nice and light…but the early grey tea brings such a fun flavor. I’m thinking this is one of those “secret ingredient” type of recipes where everyone loves the recipe…but no one can figure out the secret ingredient. Sounds amazing, Heather! Oh, and happy early 4th of July!
ooh, i bet it’d be a fun potluck game to make people guess the secret ingredients in other people’s dishes (: i tend to think that i have a somewhat refined palate, but after describing half of the things i tried at state bird provisions (they have tapas but served dim sum style) in sf as “lemony,” i think my palate needs to be educated lol.
This is the kind of thing that would be a great dessert after a barbecue! Or a great breakfast. Sounds so comforting and yummy!
oooh yes this would be so refreshing after bbq! also, really digging the breakfast idea (;
Is it possible we have the same brother? Or that our brothers are long-lost twins? Because they sound like they have a lot in common. . .But I’ll eat this awesome dessert any day! I love how light it sounds, but it’s still totally decadent and so fun. Happy Fourth!
LOL probably. oh well, more deliciousness for us, right? (;
This is the perfect summer dish!! I’m all about fruit and the cream just makes it fancy 🙂 Have a great 4th of July!! Xoxo
the cream makes it feel fancy, but it’s just whipped cream + tea. easy peasy (:
This cream looks truly delicious and I’m sure that the taste is very subtle and delicate 🙂
it’s nice because you can tailor how strong you want the tea flavor to be! i like it to be on the stronger side, and my mom likes it on the lighter side, and it’s fairly easy to tinker between different amounts of earl grey oomph (:
Hah, I’m so glad it’s not “smoky like a cigarette”!! It sounds delightful. Happy 4th of July to you!!
oof. i’m not sure i’ve ever heard such an un-appetizing description of food before (or since!).
This looks so amazing,perfect for the summer 🙂
thanks, pamela! (:
It’s a very light and fresh feeling dessert, perfect for this heat😀 I might use mangoes and peaches.. Since they are in season here🙂 Love the twist of earl grey! Thanks for sharing 🙂❤️
oooh yes! i had another batch with mangoes and berries, and it was so good. the yellow/orange mangoes didn’t quite fit into the fourth of july color scheme though, hence the all red and blue fruit selection here (;
‘smoking like cigarette is disgusting’ but this one looks delightful! earl gray cream is sooo good! Hope you had a lovely 4th of July!
my fourth of july was pretty relaxed and filled with good food (ribs, garlic bread, a cauliflower salad that will eventually be up on the blog, tons of awesome summer fruit), so i’d say it was a good one (: hope you had a good canada day!
My kind of summer dessert – fruit and cream. I love that you have added Earl grey into the mix though that would be so lovely! Hope you are enjoying your summer
i think tea and fish sauce are my secret weapons. fish sauce would be a bit weird here (even for me lol), so i opted for tea instead (;
hah girl the millenial laziness! early gray cream sounds like a dream, i actually love making a earl grey vodke drink from time to time with simple syrup
ooh i bet that’s refreshing! i’ve been playing around with fruity tea drinks (non-alcoholic though; i haven’t gotten the hang of liking the taste of alcohol yet lol), which have been delicious so far.
This looks so tasty! Thank you for sharing:)
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thanks irina!
Wow that earl grey whipped cream is a game changer! What a perfect summer dessert 😀
thanks emma!!
Love the thoughtfulness behind your scrumptious dessert =) And the nod to our forefathers…Looking forward to trying your Earl Grey cream =)
i think my propensity for “thoughtfulness” was cultivated from years of analysis of random readings in school (;
Sounds delicious and super fresh.
Thanks for sharing
thanks, kimberly!
This looks nice and refreshing! A summer must make!
thanks, patrick!
Definitely can’t go wrong with berries and cream especially when they are spiked with “posh” tea 🙂
because non-american slang and culture is endlessly interesting to me, i do say that posh tea makes things more exciting (:
If I am going to drink black tea, it’s either going to be some dessert flavored tea – or it’s going to be Earl Grey. So I have a SLIGHT FEELING I would be all about this life! 😉
earl grey is the best!! my office evolves from breezy to frigid around 2:50pm everyday, so i make hot tea. been testing out the other teas at my office, but nothing can beat the earl grey (:
I have never tasted Earl Grey cream. It looks tasty. Your recipe contains all the ingredients I am addicted to (berries and tea). Have a great week ahead 🙂
earl grey is flavored with bergamot, which is kind of orange-y. if you don’t like orange zest (don’t worry, you’re not alone! my mom is very anti-orange zest), then it might not be for you. but if you do, welcome to the club (:
I was just picking the blackberries from our bramble bush the other day, now I know what to do with them! Nice one Heather 🙂
jealous that you have a bramble bush!! i’d probably eat 99% of them plain, and then throw a handful on top of this whipped cream (:
Yes! Such a perfect summer recipe! Love all sorts of berries so this one is definitely my kinda dessert 🙂 Nice touch with the earl grey too (love that fruity flavour)!
any excuse to eat a pile of berries works for me too (:
Very light and refreshing summer dessert / snack / breakfast (for me ). Earl grey is such creative twist. I have about 25 friends coming over this weekend and this would be an easy addition to the menu.
someone else mentioned having this for breakfast, and that is sounding like an awesome idea :3 and ooh yes such an easy dessert! especially if you catch the tail end of a farmers market and manage to snag a bunch of berries for cheap (:
Earl grey infused anything is my kind of dessert. I am so smitten with all the gorgeous berries this time of year. What a perfect treat!!! Over the weekend, I bought raspberries in 3 different colors and have been eating them on pretty much everything… MAKING this tonight!!! Gotta use up all these berries!! 🙂
that sounds awesome!! i was convinced that golden raspberries were better than the normal ones when i was younger and used to steal my friend’s all the time (;
I’ve always wondered how you flavour cream! I always thought the tea would actually water it down but you taught me wrong! 🙂 Yay for broadening my dessert knowledge! haha 🙂
i’m sure there’s other ways you could do it too! if you added a cup of tea or something, then yeah i could see it watering it down. but if you made or got your hands on some tea concentrate?! imagine the possibilities!!
Looks like a deliciously pinkies-out dessert to me. I don’t necessarily like drinking earl grey as-is but I love it as an ingredient in baked goods/desserts!
i used to do everything pinkies out because i was convinced that i was so cool and sophisticated. sigh. should have saved my pinkies out time just for this dessert!
This is such a refreshing and delightful treat, Heather! Definitely the pitch-perfect summer recipe!
thanks agness! (and now i need to go listen to all of the pitch perfect soundtracks on repeat).