Coeur a la creme is a lustrous cream-based dessert molded to the shape of a heart. Putting the two elements together on Valentine’s Day makes my heart flutter. I’m excited that it’s the first Valentine’s Day for my daughter and son-in-law as a married couple. They are mindful of the commercialization of the day and don’t want to make a big deal out of it. I’m all for that. But that won’t stop me from decking a creamy dessert with all the trappings of the loving heart and all fruits red.
In fact, one of my favorite desserts is a simple three-ingredient dessert made with cream: the posset. Give it a try! It’s at the heart of cream-emulsion alchemy; it’s so magical and appropriate for Valentine’s Day. Creaminess is a remarkable consistency, perfectly balanced between solidity and fluidity, between persistence and evanescence. The same can be said for the balance necessary in sustaining a long-term relationship.
I adapt Ina Garten’s coeur a la creme with raspberries recipe. This is similar to a no-bake crustless cheesecake with a pudding-like texture. It’s hard for me not to push the envelop on the margin to make the dessert less sweet and more healthy.
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- So instead of using all cream cheese, I use half the amount and add low-fat Greek yogurt for the other half. Whisk cream cheese, yogurt, and sugar with a paddle attachment in an electric mixer at high speed for two minutes until soft peaks form. (Note that yogurt will cause the resulting texture to be more jiggly and less dense.)
- Likewise, I cut down the amount of heavy cream (one cup instead of two) in the mix. Next, whip in the heavy cream, lemon zest and vanilla until the mixture looks like whipped cream. Refrigerate the cream mixture in a lined heart-shaped mold until it’s set. For this recipe, the traditional French porcelain coeur a la creme dish with drain holes is not required.
The natural shade of red comes from the raspberries. Think strawberries, pomegranate seeds, or even beets. Luckily, there are many fruits and plant-based alternatives to provide a backdrop (or highlight) of red for the coeur a la creme. Looking for a similar dessert, try panna cotta with balsamic strawberries.
I make the raspberry sauce with a combination of fresh and frozen raspberries. In a small pot, heat the raspberries, sugar, jam and liqueur under low heat and simmer until the berries have softened and the sugar has dissolved. You may not want to add water to the sauce, depending on how runny you want the sauce to be. Finally, purée the sauce using an immersion blender to get it as smooth as can be. As usual, I make a large batch because a berry sauce goes great with icecream or yogurt. Add balsamic vinegar, a savory sauce is only one step away.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Coeur a La Creme With Raspberries | Ina Garten
Perfect for Valentine's day with a cream-based dessert in a heart shape with splashes of red raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1-1⁄4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2-1⁄2 cups cold heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean or vanilla extract
- Raspberry Sauce (see recipe)
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
- FOR THE RASPBERRY SAUCE: (Makes 2 Cups)
- 1 half-pint fresh raspberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam
- 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur
Instructions
Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla seeds and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.
Line a heart-shaped mold with cheesecloth so the ends drape over the sides and place it on a plate, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the mold and the plate for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle raspberry sauce around the base. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.
FOR THE SAUCE:
Place the raspberries, sugar, and 1⁄4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.
Notes
Adapted from https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/coeur-%C3%A0-la-cr%C3%A8me-with-raspberries
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