French Friday with Dorie
I had never heard of Coeur à la crème before this month's recipe schedule and certainly had never seen the mold that Dorie mentioned in the intro to this recipe, but as luck would have it when I was at the American Cancer Society Thrift Store a few weeks ago I came across a Coeur à la crème mold. I really don't need another mold to store, but for $3.00 I wasn't going to pass it up. What makes this mold special besides the holes are little feet so liquids can easily drain out of the bottom. If you don't have one of these you can also use a strainer.
You need at least 12 hours of chilling time before serving this dessert, so I made it the night before. You mix the cream cheese and heavy cream with confectioner's sugar, some vanilla and liquor. I used framboise. Once everything is mixed together, you scoop it into the mold that is lined with cheesecloth.
Wrap the cheesecloth overhang and slide it into the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.
By the time I served this for dessert it had been chilling in the fridge for at least 24 hours and I had very little liquid drain out - maybe 3 or four large drops. I made some raspberry coulis and Dorie's bittersweet chocolate to serve with it and decorated it with raspberries and mint.
It makes a rather impressive looking dessert.
When we tasted it we both thought that it was just "OK," but nothing to write home about and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. It was like eating whipped cream with some chocolate sauce - certainly nothing exciting. We both felt the raspberry coulis would have been better as a jam on toast. Maybe I should have added some framboise to give it a sweeter taste.
The second night we gave it another try and it tasted so much better. By this time it had been in the fridge for at least 48 hours. I found that I really liked it with the whole raspberries and chocolate sauce the best. John put some in his hot chocolate and declared it a winner. I made a note in the cookbook for when I make it again to serve this after a minimum of 48 hours of chill time.
I am curious to see what the rest of the group thought. You can also check their results out over at French Fridays with Dorie. Have a great weekend!
Beautifully done, Elaine! LOL at John's use...that sounds darn tasty!!!
ReplyDeleteYour turned out beautiful!! I served mine with a raspberry sauce, but that chocolate sure looks good...next time :-)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I'm curious now as to how my leftovers might taste today. I was planning on sneaking a little for lunch, so I'll guess I'll see! ;) Yours looks fantastic - nice work!
ReplyDeleteI can not believe you lucked out on a mold for $3 - that is fabulous and seeing how gorgeous your heart shape turned out.....now I want one too :) I thought this dish was amazing and was in awe of how yummy it turned out. My husband did like it but said the orange pork had been great too. What ?? I think this just confirms what a ridiculous sweet tooth I have. More for me and the kiddos !!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! And what a great thrift store find!
ReplyDeleteOh, Elaine, your Post made me feel good and bad. The bad (good for you) is that I paid $13 for my heart at Sur La Table and it was even on sale. You got a bargain. But the good news is that I actually made the Dorie version 3 days ago and it's been wrapped in cheescloth waiting for the unmolding tonight. Since I worried that it wouldn't solidify a la Cher, I made another Coeur by the Barefoot Contessa yesterday. It will be fun to taste test. I am glad it got better and better. It does look "fancy."
ReplyDeleteI too cannot believe that you found the mold for $3. It looks stunning.
ReplyDeleteLucky you Elaine! I love thrift stores because every once in awhile you really find a great deal! I bought my mold years ago, and paid more than Mary!
ReplyDeleteSorry it wasn’t that good the first time you ate it…but glad it got better with age!! I like to think that all things get better with age…LOL!
Your coeur certainly does look very pretty! We really enjoyed this one…mine was able to be cut after 24 hours in the fridge.
$3!! What a great deal! A beautiful dish too.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the way your coeur is decorated with the raspberry/mint flowers. So pretty, Elaine. I also thought this was just OK, and mine chilled for a couple days, with very little draining off. Oh, well. Hope you had a lovely Valentine's day and that you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done. And how lucky to find the mold at a thrift store! Sometimes things just come together, eh?
ReplyDeleteI admit that I didn't even bother to look for a mold because I just couldn't imagine that I would ever find one around these parts. What's funny is that after reading this recipe I remembered that I had actually seen these molds in kitchen stores back in the US before and had just assumed that they were some sort of kitschy strainer. I would have never guessed that it was for cake!
ReplyDeleteYou have such great thrifting luck, Elaine! We left ours in for about twenty-four hours and enjoyed it. I'm curious to see what it's like tomorrow, after reading about your experience. Your presentation is just gorgeous, by the way!
ReplyDeleteYour couer a la creme looks so pretty! Like you, I thought it was ok, but I wasn't a massive fan.
ReplyDeleteYour three dollar find looks like a million bucks :-)
ReplyDeleteYou really put together a beautiful presentation.
You garnished beautifully. I took a different approach. I found that Dorie's recipe just didn't drain much but given the ingredient list I wouldn't have expected much draining.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful dessert, and if I ever make it, I'll remember to let it sit for 24 hours. It couldn't have been timed better for Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteElaine, what a picture perfect presentation - how lucký you were to find that heart-shaped mold. Your dessert is a real show stopper the way it looks with the chocolate sauce and the fresh raspberries! Just wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHope you will have one wonderful weekend!
P.S.: I remember that you mentoned last year that you found these pretty molds for the Coconut Friands at the American Cancer Society Thrift Store - and they were so wonderful and cute too! How fantastic that you are able to find these wonderful things there.
Elaine, thank you for your lovely comments - I will mail you a small parcel with the "Earl Grey´s Lady Violet" tea by the end of this week, since it is one lovely tea that I am sure you will enjoy and I do not think that you will find it in the US. Shall I use the address as for the Christmas Card Exchange?
DeleteElaine, the "Lady Violet" and a delightful "Easter Tea" are on their way since Tuesday - hope the small parcel will be delivered to your house very soon. Regards, Andrea
DeleteYour dessert looks perfect! And, lucky you finding the mold for $3.00!
ReplyDeleteI read about this dessert before but never attempt to make it. I'm a bit surprised and disappointed that it's not as decadent as you like it to be (I always imagine it's really good.) But certainly, it's a beautiful dessert. And the chocolate sauce looks divine. What a steal on the mold! Totally good deal. And of course you can use the mold for many many other recipes. :)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks impressive! So sorry it didn't live up to your expectations, but don't worry because that's what food is all about, experimenting!
ReplyDeleteSuch a pretty dessert! You'll have to try my chocolate version now you have the mold ;)
ReplyDeleteHow fun to find the Coeur à la crème mold at the thrift shop - I'm not sure I could have passed it up, either. I love how you decorated the unmolded dessert with raspberries and mint leaves.
ReplyDeleteElaine-this is so pretty!!! I'm sorry you weren't overly crazy about the flavors ;-(
ReplyDeleteMaybe there is another way to use the mold for a more tasty creation?!
I might just leave the mold out on the counter just to enjoy the look of it !!
Wow, Elaine - I think this was the prettiest one of all! I don't know how I missed your post.
ReplyDeleteAre you on the FFWD Facebook page? A bunch of us are going to the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle in Sept. where Dorie will be the keynote speaker. It would be so great to meet you, too.
What a find! And what a beautiful presentation!!! How neat that you could combine the two - what a perfect fit. It looks absolutely wonderful! :)
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