Flavoured whipped cream
You probably thought it impossible to improve upon the decadent simplicity of whipped cream. Well, you'd better start believing! With liqueurs, extracts, flavoured syrups or spices to stir in, any flavour is yours for the making. Some of our personal favourites are Kahlúa, lemon juice, ginger (stir in ground ginger) and vanilla extract. Another idea for adding pizzazz is to dust whipped cream with grates spices, grated citrus zest or cocoa powder or to drizzle it with caramel or chocolate sauce. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, dream up flavour combinations such as mint whipped cream drizzled with chocolate, or Frangelico whipped cream dusted with espresso powder.
Fruit and citrus shapes
Using small, decorative cutters, which are essentially small cookie cutters, available at cooking stores, you can press out fun and festive shapes from citrus peels as well as thin slices of apple, pear or ginger root. Think leaves for autumn, stars for Christmas, or hearts for Valentine's Day. Start with citrus peel or fruit slices thin enough for the cutter to press through. Place the cutter on the peel or slice, press down, and voilà! If you don't have cutters, simple slices can be just as nice. Float the shapes or thread them on decorative skewers or pretty drink umbrellas.
Stencilling
Dress up the kids' cups at their next birthday party, stencil gingerbread men for your Christmas gathering, or show off your team's letters for the big game. Just select a piece of heavy card stock larger than the rim of the mug and, using an X-Acto knife, cut out a stencil in a fun shape or a letter for monogramming. Pour the hot drink into the mug and top with a few small dollops of whipped cream. Allow the whipped cream to melt a bit to create a flat surface. Place the stencil atop the mug and sift cocoa, tinted sugar or cinnamon over the stencil. Remove the stencil to reveal a unique and personalized drink.
Sugared berries
Skewer two or three raspberries, cranberries or other small berries onto a toothpick or decorative skewer. Dip the skewered berries in a small bowl of cold water, gently shake off any excess water, and then dip the skewer into a shallow bowl of sugar to coat. Shake again to remove any excess sugar.
Tinted sugars
Tinted sugar adds a special touch to your favourite hot drink when used to rim glasses or sprinkled on top of whipped cream. All you need is a small plastic zip-top bag, granulated sugar and food colouring. Place the desired amount of sugar in the plastic bag, add a few drops of food colouring, and shake to distribute the colour evenly. Add more food colouring until you achieve the desired hue.
Excerpted from Some Like It Hot by Holly Burrows and Katie Walter. Excerpted by permission of Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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