Recipes

Recipe: Traditional French Dessert: Coeur La Creme with Raspberries

Coeur à la Crème with Raspberry Sauce

Coeur à la Crème is festive without being hard. It’s a wonderful complement to whatever summer berries are in season. It can be made in less than five minutes, refrigerated up to overnight, and  it never fails to knock em’ out. Take out the sugars and you have the perfect low carb dessert.

One large (16-ounce) or four individual (4-ounce) perforated heart-shaped ceramic molds lined with cheesecloth will be needed to create this dessert. The perforated molds allow the excess liquid, or whey, to drip through the cheesecloth, leaving the delicious “heart” of the cream. Coeur à la crème molds are usually available at kitchen supply stores such as La Belle Cuisine.

 

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Chambord
1 packet stevia (or Splenda)

For raspberry sauce
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Garnishes
fresh raspberries
mint leaves

 

Cut a piece of cheesecloth into four 6-inch squares. Dampen and wring out lightly. Press one square into each of four perforated heart-shaped ceramic molds and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the mascarpone cheese, 1/4 cup of the cream, the vanilla, the 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the Chambord until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate.

In a small bowl, whip the remaining 1 cup cream and sweetener until the cream forms stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the chilled cheese mixture in three batches. Spoon the finished mixture into the prepared molds and fold the edges of the cheesecloth over the tops. Lightly tap at the bottoms of the molds on the counter to remove and air spaces between the mixture and the molds. Refrigerate on a tray or baking sheet a minimum of 2 to 3 hours.
Meanwhile, make raspberry sauce:

In a blender or food processor, purée the raspberries, 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Taste the sauce for sweetness and add sweetener only if necessary. Refrigerate.

To serve, turn hearts out onto dessert plates and carefully lift off cheese cloth. Drizzle with raspberry sauce and serve to great accolades.