Coeur à la Crème
Coeur à la Crème is a dessert from the French Bistro tradition. Traditionally, it is prepared in a special, heart-shaped mold and has therefore been relegated almost exclusively to Valentine’s Day menus. This is somewhat unfortunate because this is potentially a very versatile dish. It must be prepared at least a day in advance, which makes it perfect for entertaining. Surrounded on a platter by vibrant raspberry sauce, the bright white heart makes a dramatic presentation. Furthermore, the ingredients are readily available and the preparation is super quick and simple. In fact, the most challenging part of preparing coeur à la crème is typically finding the right kind of heart-shaped mold! The recipe that follows is geared to produce a dessert to be shared by two. Should you wish to adapt the recipe for entertaining purposes, it will multiply easily. Furthermore, if romance isn’t your intended impression, a simple cheesecloth-lined sieve can stand in just as well as the heart-shaped mold — serve this revised version to your friends and family as bombe à la crème.
Ingredients
For the Coeur à la Crème:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 ounces sour cream, cold
3 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
For the Raspberry Sauce:
18 ounces raspberries*
1/4 cup sugar
pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon fruit-flavored liquor, such as Grand Marnier or Kirshwasser
Preparation
For the Coeur à la Crème:
1) Begin by lining your mold with a double layer of cheesecloth, leaving plenty of overhanging cheesecloth.
2) Combine cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in a medium-sized stainless steel bowl. Beat — using an electric mixer if so desired — until smooth, lightened and completely homogeneous.
3) Spoon the mixture into the cloth-lined molds. Avoid gaps, bubbles or cheesecloth wrinkles that may mar the finished shape.
4) Set the mold on a sheet pan lined with a baking rack, wrap the whole thing tightly in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
For the Raspberry Sauce:
1) Combine raspberries and sugar in a medium sized sauce pot and set over low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until smooth and thickened.
2) Remove from the heat and stir in the fruit liquor.
3) Force the raspberry sauce through a very fine sieve (chinos).
4) Store any unused portion in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
*Since this dessert is a Valentine’s Day classic for two, it’s likely fresh raspberries will be both very expensive and of mediocre quality. Go ahead and use frozen berries for the sauce — they’ll probably be considerably better tasting.
To Serve
1) Unmold the dessert by inverting a serving plate over the mold. Carefully flip the mold and plate over together. Lift away the mold and carefully peel away the cheesecloth. Dust the surface with powdered sugar if desired.
2) Spoon raspberry sauce generously all around the dessert.
3) Garnish, if desired with any or all of: fresh raspberries, fresh strawberries, mint or basil sprigs, citrus Supremes, Valentine’s Day candy, or edible flowers (make sure the flowers are labeled edible — preservative chemicals used for florist-shop flowers are very toxic!)
4) Serve immediately.
