It has been ages since I last posted…hmmm, what can I blame? Work? Junior League? Being five months pregnant? The weather? Band practice? Trying to organize the house? Oh well, better late than never is my motto for many things!
I just made this to-die-for dessert last weekend for a special girls’ lunch, where my “Baby Council” offered up tons of great advice and stories to prepare me for baby’s anticipated arrival in August. And surprisingly, I am not terribly overwhelmed.
This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa and her book, Barefoot in Paris. It was divine and one of the easiest desserts you can make a day or two in advance of serving it. I call it “Dome à la Creme” as I used a 7″ sieve and can’t be bothered with buying a special heart-shaped mold. I recommend you do the same. The sauce makes a lot so if necessary, you could cut it in half. Also, to double this recipe, which is easy, don’t double the ingredients, just make two domes. I don’t know about other Barefoot Contessa fans but just about everything of hers I make turns out delightful. And I can’t help being totally envious of her Hamptons lifestyle.
Coeur à la Crème with Raspberries
- 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used Trader Joe’s, do not use low or non fat cream cheese)
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used Trader Joe’s bourbon vanilla extract)
- 1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
- Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (again, from Trader Joe’s)
-Raspberry sauce (recipe follows)
- 1 pint fresh raspberries, washed and dried
Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high 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 until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.
Line a 7″ sieve with cheesecloth (I used unbleached) so the ends drape over the sides and place it in a bowl so there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bowl for the liquid to drain (about 1″). Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, cover with plastic wrap 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. Alternatively, slice pieces, drizzle with sauce and scatter with raspberries.
Raspberry Sauce
- 1 half-pint fresh raspberries, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam
- 1 Tbsp framboise liqueur (I used kirsch)
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 the liqueur into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.
As one of the lucky attendees of the Baby Council lunch I actually got to try this and it was divine. You can have all the advice you want if you make this for me!