Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce

Mother's Day will be here soon but can you think of a better way to celebrate than by making her a fabulous dessert?

You may want to make her a breakfast, or a celebratory dinner, but dessert just captures the heart.  This dessert is to DIE for!

When I read this recipe in Ina Garten's cookbook, "Barefoot in Paris" and saw that it was a french version of cheesecake well....let's just say she had me at cheesecake.  I love me some cheesecake! (Plus I love all of Ina's recipes...)

Boy, were we in for a treat on this one.  This is the creamiest, delicate, light and fluffy dessert you will ever want.  It's cheesecake kicked up 100x over!  No, really, this dessert is   d a n g e r o u s.  It is very hard to control yourself from eating it, I mean ALL OF IT!  Oh, and the raspberry sauce? Holy moly...this is a must!

Now, I will say, while this is easy to make, it does require some equipment you may not have readily available.  I'm sure you can substitute the mold for another form and be just fine, but this heart shaped Coeur a la Creme mold is so adorable I had to have it.  You can purchase it here.  You will also need some cheesecloth, for the straining, so make sure to have that on hand as well.  Other than that this is easy to put together.  This does need to sit overnight and strain through the cheesecloth, so I made it the night before.  You may want to plan to make this ahead of time.

This truly is a fabulous recipe, thanks to Ina for her ingenious cookbooks and foolproof dishes!  You can buy her cookbook here, which I highly recommend. 

You may also find the recipe here.

Happy Mother's Day!



Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce

(Serves 6 to 8 )

Adapted from :  Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris Cookbook

12 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
Raspberry Sauce
2 half-pints fresh raspberries

Raspberry Sauce:
1 half-pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam

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 two 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 paste and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

Line a 7-inch sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels so the ends drape over the sides and suspend it over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl 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 Raspberry Sauce: Place one package of raspberries, the granulated 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 and the jam, into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.