2/13/2011

Sunday Dinner

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Prosciutto wrapped Shrimp

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Green Salad with Creamy-Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing
Baguette with Roasted Garlic

Coeur à la Crème
with Raspberry Coulis



Our Sunday dinner menu before Valentine's Day needed to have some of our favorite dishes that we love.  It also needed to have that special dessert, Coeur à la Crème.  Normally, I don't buy special pots or dishes for just one dish, but this is where I make an exception.  The heart-shaped mold is just perfect for this time of year and it creates a real WOW factor when served to family and friends.




One would think that with a fancy name and a special mold that this would be a difficult dessert to prepare, but it couldn't be more simple.  It can also be prepared a couple of days in advance.  It is basically a no-bake cheesecake; rich, creamy and decadent.  The only changes I made to the original recipe is to reduce the amount of ingredients.  The first time I made this it made way too much for the 7-inch porcelain mold that I have.  Served with a ruby red raspberry coulis and a few chocolate wafer cookies on the side, it is the perfect ending to our meal.








Printable Recipe


Coeur à la Crème with Raspberry Coulis
serves 6-8


Note: If you don't have a 7-inch heart-shaped mold, you can still make this in any dish with perforations like a colander or sieve.

8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 2/3 cups cold heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped


Raspberry Coulis (recipe follows)
1 pint fresh raspberries


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on high until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.  With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and change the paddle for the whisk attachment.  With the mixer on low, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla seeds.  Turn the mixer to high and whip until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.


Line a large heart-shaped mold with cheesecloth so the ends drape over the sides and place it in a bowl, so that the bottom of the mold does not touch the bottom of the bowl.  This will allow the liquid to drain.  Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, smooth the top, then fold the cloth ends over the top, and refrigerate.


To serve, discard the liquid in the bowl and unmold the cream onto a large serving plate.  Serve with raspberry sauce and fresh berries.  Enjoy!


Raspberry Coulis
makes about 1 1/2 cups


1 pint of fresh raspberries, or 12 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons framboise liqueur (optional, but good)


In a blender, purée the raspberries with the sugar, lemon juice, and framboise.  Set a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the raspberry mixture, pressing firmly with a rubber spatula.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.  Stored in the refrigerator, the sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance.


Source: Coeur à la Créme from Barefoot in Paris, Raspberry Coulis slightly adapted form Joy of Cooking, 1997








6 comments:

  1. Looks beautiful! Would love to get your salad dressing too!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Erin-
    Thank you. I will eventually share the dressing recipe, but I have another one that I would like to share this week--stay tuned!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi - just accidentally discovered your site - lucky for me! I also have a love of cooking - particularly baking!! I have had Parkinson's Disease for 6 yrs, so have had to slow down a bit, but I still do the cooking for my small family. I am always looking for new recipes (I don't know what will ever become of my voluminous recipes). Yours are very exciting. I would love to have your sweet potato streusal w/homemade marshmallow recipe - sounds great. I love sweet potatoes any time of the year.
    Keep up the great column - I'll be checking back frequently. Diane

    ReplyDelete
  4. Diane-
    Hello and thanks for stopping by and commenting. My reason for starting this blog was to keep track of my voluminous recipes for my family and friends. As far as the sweet potato dish, that is a family favorite that I would like to share as we get closer to the Fall holidays. Best to you and happy cooking!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds amazing. I do have a question - if you make it in the colander or sieve, do you still need to use the cheesecloth?

    ReplyDelete

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