Some say heaven is a place. A place where, perhaps my mom and grandparents might reside. I say it is this:

When Bryan and I were on our honeymoon in Switzerland 10 (!!) years ago, we stayed at a hotel in Bern that had an amazing restaurant. We still remember the extravagance of the cheese chart and the fabulousness of the food in general. But the thing that makes our tastebuds shiver in happy nostalgia was a strawberry cream dessert. It was light like a mirangue. It had lots of cream in it, there were these amazing strawberries…and we dubbed it heaven. It was the hotel’s signature dessert. Oh, how I’ve missed it these long years.

However, Everyday Food, my go-to magazine for most of our dinners, had this intriguing recipe in the May issue. So I tried it out. And it was good. Goooood. So I made it again. Again, it was gooood.

Here’s a link to the recipe. I hope you find a reason to try it. If you don’t have ramekins, don’t fret. I’d suggest making it in a bowl. The presentation won’t be as fancy, but it may not matter when you end up tucking into the bowl with a serving spoon! Ahh, fantasies. Everyone needs them.

Sylvia samples the whipping cream — Sylvia tries out the whipping cream and declares it successfully whipped

Buttermilk Creams with Strawberries

Prep: 20 minutes Total: 20 minutes + chilling

Whipped cream gives these no-bake eggless custards a delicate texture. Don’t worry if the mixture forms clumps at first — it will come together with gentle folding.

Ingredients

Serves 8.

1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce envelope)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 3 tablespoons cold water. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Heat over low, stirring, until gelatin has dissolved, about 30 seconds.
In a large bowl, whisk 1/4 cup sugar with buttermilk until dissolved. Whisking constantly, add gelatin mixture in a very thin stream. In another large bowl, beat cream and 1/4 cup sugar until soft peaks form.
With a rubber spatula, gently stir half of whipped cream into buttermilk mixture; fold in remaining whipped cream. Divide among eight 6-ounce ramekins. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours (or up to 1 day, covered with plastic wrap).
When ready to serve, toss strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water. Let stand until juicy, about 5 minutes. Run a paring knife around edge of each ramekin and dip each briefly in steaming hot water; invert buttermilk creams onto serving plates and top with strawberries.