Ichigo Sando for Strawberry season!

Unbelievably, I had entirely erased this little corner of a blog from my mind for so many years! It was part of my life and my main means of documenting it ever since I began posting on it in 2009. It was a lovely way to look through past experiences and memories to make sense of the chaos that is a camera roll. Being able to look back 15 years and so specifically re-live a memory thanks to a post I made about it feels so priceless. It's an instant way to travel back in time. Getting absorbed by life, work, love, and other social media platforms had detached me from this little safe haven for far too long. I don't have access to certain software that allowed me to more personalize my photos but I am making it a point to post all of the memories that I would have shared when they happened.

To start with, I wanted to show my love for the Ichigo Sando. I can't recall when I was first introduced to what an ichigo sando is but it is ubiquotous within Japanese culture so is hard to miss! I may have seen it in an anime but it has built quite a reputation for itself so has always been something I've wanted to try, just never had the opportunity. Until recently! I tried a cupcake recipe and had to make my own icing, the recipe required whipping cream. Although I had failed I still liked the idea so tried to make whipped cream on its own and it turned out perfectly! I then put two and two together realizing how simple it would be to make an ichigo sando! 

On my next grocery run I bought a loaf of sliced brioche bread, some strawberries, and the whipping cream. To add some sweetness to my whipped cream, I put in a bit of powdered sugar and vanilla extract. The combination was divine! I also tried using a vegan alternative but sadly the consistency was more of a yoghurt, but I will keep looking!

My cross cut isn't perfect but what a lovely treat! It has become my favourite dessert accompanied by some tea.

Recipe:

• 1/4 cup of 35% whipping cream. I like to have a little extra on the side, so I use 1/3 cup! 
• A few medium sized strawberries or other fruit.
• About 2 tsp of powdered sugar, more or less to taste.
• About 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, to taste although less is more!

Instructions

1. Use an electric hand mixer (I never had one for many years but bought one when I saw an affordable price, it's a very good investment!) to beat the whipping cream, low to high for about 5 or so minutes. You should see it coming together.
2. Once it starts looking like whipped cream, add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
3. Continue to mix until combined.
4. Take your bread slices and add a generous amount of whipped cream to each side as the strawberry will have some empty space around it to fill. 
5. Place 3 strawberries down the center diagonally with the top towards the corner, this should give a nice cross cut of the strawberry. This is where you can get creative as well! Add more or other fruits in the empty space.
6. Place that slice on top of the one with the fruits.
7. I'm not patient so I don't refrigerate it, but that is a good tip! After 30 minutes it is easier to slice. I use a serrated bread knife.
8. Enjoy! And practice makes perfect! 

A very helpful video to explain how to make an Ichigo Sando!