If you use the vanilla pod you need to start the night before. Open the pod with the tip of a knife draining all the seeds, soak the seeds and the pod into the cream, keep in the fridge (preferably in the coldest part , generally downwardly).

The following day, strain the cream that in the meantime it will be flavored.
Whip the cream until it reaches a good consistency, then add the icing sugar (and the scent of vanilla if you have not used the pod) and continue until it becomes soft and voluminous.

Do not let  it whip too much, otherwise it will be too hard and you risk of turning it into butter, because the water might separate from the fat.

Recommendation: the cream is very sensitive to temperature, if you use it when it is not cold yet, it will not whip and you risk to make it unrecoverable. So it is good to have some care (especially in summer time):
- make sure that the cream is very cold (if you can put it in the freezer for 2-3 minutes, but be careful not to let it freeze);
- keep the bowl you want to use to whip and whips around half an hour in the freezer;
- when ready you can put the bowl with the milk cream in another bowl with cold water and ice cubes.

Generally if the milk cream is cold and if the container is refrigerated there are no problems.

The charm and prestige of Chantilly Castle (Château de Chantilly) is also expressed by the culinary point of view, as well as historical, artistic and architectural.

This site, in fact, during the period of residence of Prince Louis II of Bourbon-Condé (1621-1686), belonging to a branch of the Bourbons said the Grand Condé, became a party place frequented by the most influential names in the literary and aristocratic even King Louis XIV (the Sun King) was used to go to the castle.

And it was exactly at a reception organized by Condé to his appointment as general superintendent of the castle, that the chef François Vatel pseudonym of Fritz Karl Watel (Paris, 1631 Chantilly, April 24, 1671), master of ceremonies, renamed one of those that were  already one of his masterpieces, the famous Crème Chantilly, renaming it in honor of the castle.

Actually the recipe was created by Vatel during the period of service to Nicolas Fouquet (Superintendent of Finance of the Kingdom of France until 1661).

Vatel in 1663 was appointed by the Grand Condé controleur général de la Bouche thus responsible for the management of purchases of food for the preparation of meals of the prince.

It was this great responsibility, considering his hopeless devotion to work and that it was accurate in his performance at almost maniacal level, to bring him to commit suicide.

In 1671 Condé organized a large party lasted three days and three nights in honor of the Sun King. Vatel had to organize it in just 15 days and 24 April 1671, Good Friday, the fish ordered for the banquet delayed. Vatel had not slept for twelve days and in despair, he decided to take his own life with a sword.

He felt guilty, and the dishonor was so heavy that he could not endure a such humiliation.
Of course, the incident should not disturb the celebrations..., then his lifeless body was buried hastily in order the guests could not see what had happened.

The cream or cream of milk, is defined as "the product obtained from milk, in the form of an emulsion of fat in water with a minimum content, by weight, of milk-fat of 10%."

The fat content of the cream is the central aspect of this food because it determines the heating power and the capability to whip.
The optimum content of fat to get a good whipped cream is between 30 and 34%, which is the reason you cannot use a cream with a low fat content, it would not be a technically suitable.
Because the cream is derived from the fat component of milk is high in cholesterol (140 mg per 100 g, 30% RDA) and saturated fatty acids.

Therefore it is recommended to eat modest quantities. But the fat content also influences other nutritional properties. Infact, retinol (vitamin A) and its precursor, beta-carotene, being soluble, are present in appreciable amounts in the cream; moreover, being a derivative of the milk can be an important source of calcium (78 mg in 100g of product; 10% RDA).
Cream is a highly deteriorable product, therefore it is essential to the method of preservation, in order to avoid a deterioration it is necessary to store it in a refrigerator at a constant temperature, protected from light and hermetically sealed.
The heat, the light and the availability of oxygen can lead to physical and chemical reactions that irreversibly damage the taste, the smell and the color of the cream, it can also create the conditions for the proliferation of microorganisms present in the environment which compromises the health and alters the nutritional and organoleptic characteristics.