Recipes | Russian Cream with Raspberries

I have something new and exciting for you this week. Recipes! Periodically, we will sharing some of our favorite Buck’s T-4 recipes from both past and present. We hope to give you a deeper look into our kitchens, the minds that work the culinary magic and allow you to make at home what you have enjoyed at Buck’s. To start off, I picked one of my favorite T-4 traditions, Russian Cream with Raspberries.

To my dismay, I tried this delightful dessert in my first week at Buck’s and since have never really given the other desserts the time of day. I’m not the only one who has suffered from this problem because when I asked Mike, Chuck and Dave when this dish first appeared on the menu, none could quite remember–it was so many years ago. Before Dave’s time, before Chuck’s too and Mike’s best guess, 1980. That was 31 years ago and the most incredible detail is that it has never left the menu. Sometime around 1980 a new pastry chef who’d come from Jackson brought the recipe with them and while many subsequent chefs have tried to contemporize the sweet, they've never succeeded. If you've tried this dessert at Buck’s before then you know why failure was inevitable. And if you haven’t had the privilege of indulging in Russian Cream, make this very soon (tomorrow?) and you’ll know why, too.

Enjoy,
Tori

Russian Cream with Raspberries
Yield: 8-6 oz servings

1 ½ tsp Gelatin (Knox, e.g.)
¼ Cup Water
2 ½ Cups Regular Whipping Cream
1 ¼ Cups Sugar
2 1/4 tsp Vanilla
20 oz sour cream
Frozen Unsweetened Raspberries, slightly thawed (Or other berries of choice)*

Place gelatin in water and dissolve over low flame until clear. In a large saucepan, heat cream and sugar over low flame until sugar melts and mixture is hot. Add vanilla, then gelatin. Stir mixture vigorously with wire whisk until gelatin is thoroughly dissolved and well-mixed. Remove from heat and add sour cream, mixing continuously with whisk. Place in large container and cool until firm (preferably over night).

Alternate layers of cream blend with your frozen raspberries or other berries of choice in 8 parfait glasses, wine glasses or other clear glass of choice. Top with fresh whipped cream and garnish with a sprig of mint.

If not serving immediately, skip the whip cream step and cover individual portions and refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Eek, frozen berries? Really? Yes, really. The beauty of using frozen unsweetened berries in this dish is that as they thaw the juice that is released has a nice slightly sweet but still tart flavor that mixes with your cream. It is the balance you are looking for.  If you have fresh berries on hand or the ones at the store can’t be resisted then I recommend doing a blend of fresh and frozen so you still have that juice. But, be creative and tell us what combinations you come up with.