Coeur a la Creme

Ooh-la-la! Coeur a la creme is an amazingly creamy and delicious dessert. Plan ahead, this French delicacy has to be made ahead.

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The cast of characters - cream cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds - Hello! What's not to love?  I can't think of a more perfect dessert for Valentine's Day.

You'll also need some cheesecloth and a coeur a la creme mold. Alternates for both listed further down, so keep reading.

This is a traditional French porcelain coeur a la creme mold. I'm not at all fond of the shape of this porcelain mold (too pointy and kinda weird).  So I decided to make my own.

I found this plastic candy dish at Wal-Mart for $1.50. I simply drilled holes in the bottom and voila, a coeur a la creme mold in a more pleasing puffy heart shape.

But hey, you don't need a heart-shaped mold to make this yummy dessert. You can use a mesh sieve.

The porcelain molds have little feet on the bottom. My homemade mold doesn't, so here I'm using a mixing bowl to suspend the mold and catch the liquid as it drains.

A bird's eye view of the set-up.

Before we begin mixing the ingredients together, let's line our mold with cheesecloth. No cheesecloth?  No problem - you can use coffee filters or paper towels instead.

Time to mix the ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the softened cream cheese and sift the confectioner's sugar on top.

I always sift clumpy ingredients like powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I LOVE my BeaterBlade attachment.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. If you own a stand mixer, you need to get one!  

Okay, combine the sugar and cream cheese and beat on high for 2 minutes.  Next we'll add the pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.

I love using vanilla beans - cut it down the middle with a sharp knife...

...and scrape out the seeds.  Easy!

Mmmm.  Look at all of that yummy flavor!

Don't throw that vanilla bean away - make vanilla sugar by submerging the pods in granulated sugar and store in an airtight container.  Keep adding bean pods and sugar and you'll always have a supply on hand to make cookies, desserts, beverages... really great stuff!

Back to our Creme - Beat in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. See all those yummy vanilla specks?

Add the heavy cream and replace the paddle with the whip attachment. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.

Pour the mixture into the prepared mold - it will shrink a bit as it drains.

Wrap the excess cheesecloth over the top and place the mold in a container to catch the liquid that will eventually seep out.

I ran into an unexpected problem when I placed my filled mold in the mixing bowl to drain. The mold was kind of top heavy and kept tilting sideways - I solved the problem by placing plastic wrap around the rim of the bowl which acted like a gasket and kept the plastic mold from tilting.

Dairy products are notorious for absorbing refrigerator odors (not that there are any in MY refrigerator), but you never know when one of the teens is going to put an open container of leftover Chinese take-out in there. So just to be on the safe side, I wrapped it well with plastic wrap.

Here we are after 24 hours. See how the creme has compressed a bit. You can't tell by looking at the photo, but the cheesecloth is completely saturated with liquid that drained out of the Creme.

And look at how much liquid collected in the bottom of the bowl.

Enough with that - time to unmold our glorious creation.

Place the Creme on a serving platter and lift the mold straight up so as not to mar its soft surface.

Carefully peel away the cheesecloth - I love the impression it leaves behind.

If I was serving this dessert on a white platter, I would probably have made a strawberry or raspberry sauce, but since I'm serving this one on a red platter, I thought chocolate sauce would be more appropriate. I made a simple sauce by combining 1 part dark chocolate with 2 parts heavy cream; stirring constantly over med heat until combined.  Cool before using.

I garnished with some wild black raspberries I had stashed in the freezer.  Voila!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• coeur a la creme mold https://amzn.to/2E5uWKi

• sieve https://amzn.to/2vVX4Lq

• cheesecloth https://amzn.to/2vX8TB0

• vanilla beans https://amzn.to/2EhmZSn

• Barefoot in Paris https://amzn.to/2HgXzpC

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Coeur a la Creme

makes 4-6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, sifted to remove lumps

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, cold

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment (or better yet, a BeaterBlade attachment), slowly combine the softened cream cheese and the confectioner's sugar until the risk of spewing powdered sugar all over your kitchen has passed.

2. Increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes.

3. Turn the mixer off; add vanilla extract and vanilla seeds, combine on low.

4. Add cream and continue to combine on low until incorporated (scrape sides of the bowl if needed).

5. Turn mixer off and replace the paddle attachment with the whip attachment.

6. Whip mixture on high until stiff peaks form.

7. Pour mixture into a cheesecloth lined mold.

8. Place mold in a bowl to catch the juices that drain.

9. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. unmold, garnish, and serve.

Chocolate Sauce

makes about 1 1/4 cups

Ingredients

• 4 ounces bitter-sweet chocolate

• 8 ounces heavy cream

Directions

1. In a heavy bottomed pan over med heat, melt chocolate and cream together; stirring constantly. Cool before using.

Notes:  

• Cream cheese will dry out quickly if exposed to the air, so be sure to keep it wrapped while coming to room temperature.

• If you're pressed for time, you can quickly bring cream cheese to room temperature by placing it in a sturdy zip-top storage bag and knead it with your warm hands for a few minutes. It will soften up in no time flat.

adapted from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Hubby loves chocolate.  Hubby loves cheesecake.  I love Hubby.  Happy Birthday Hubby.

This is a fantastic chocolate cheesecake - not only does it taste A-MA-ZING, it bakes evenly without cracks and you don't have to fuss with a water bath.  Plan ahead and prepare this cheesecake at least a day before you want to serve it.  After baking, it will need several hours to rest and cool before chilling overnight in the refrigerator.  We think it gets better with age, so make it a few days in advance if you wish.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• food processor https://amzn.to/2YpubmU

• Oreo cookies https://amzn.to/2VgVYUJ

• leakproof springform pan https://amzn.to/2Hey0FE

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/2VYkPkt

• beaterblade attachment for stand mixer https://amzn.to/2Hj4G12

• professional stand mixer https://amzn.to/2vWYzZw

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Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

makes one 9-inch cheesecake (makes 12 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 9 ounces cream filled chocolate cookies (like Oreos), ground in food processor

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted

Topping:

• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

• 4 ounces heavy cream

• Garnish: blanched and chopped pistachios (optional)

Directions

To make the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. In a food processor, process cream-filled cookies to fine crumbs (cream filling and all).

3. Add melted butter and combine; press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

4. Place springform on a half sheet pan and bake crust for 10 minutes.

To make the filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the BeaterBlade attachment (or the flat paddle), beat together on low speed the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and salt; scraping sides of bowl if needed.

2. When mixture is silky smooth, add eggs, one at a time; scraping sides of bowl if needed. Finally, add the room temperature sour cream, followed by the melted chocolate; mix on low until combined; scraping the bowl if needed.

3. Pour mixture into springform pan and return to the oven for 1 hour.

4. Make ganache and blanch optional pistachios while cheesecake is baking (directions below).

5. After the cheesecake has baked for an hour, turn off the oven and do not open the door for another hour, then open the door slightly for one more hour (that's a total of 3 hours so far).

6. Finally remove cheesecake from oven and rest on counter until completely cool.

7. Top with cooled ganache and optional pistachios, cover with plastic or place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight preferred before releasing the springform sides from the base. For neat slices, heat and dry knife blade between cuts.

To make ganache topping:

1. While the cheesecake is baking, prepare ganache by bringing cream to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

2. As soon as the cream boils, remove from heat and stir in chocolate; stir to combine.

3. Pour ganache into a bowl; cover with a tea towel and allow it to rest until the cheesecake has cooled completely (several hours).

To blanch pistachios:

1. Put shelled pistachios in boiling water; remove from heat and wait 1 minute.

2. Drain and rub with a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins. You can use the pistachios right away, or toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they're fragrant (just a minute or two).

3. Cool and chop.

adapted recipe form Martha Stewart

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