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REFLECTIONS
Mom and I
are sporting
another ’80s
style: preppy
side. It was beautiful in a precious,
bed-and-breakfast kind of way, but it
went down like a New York cheesecake, in lusty, sauce-slinging gulps.
My mother made it mainly for dinner
parties, but once, when I was in fourth
grade, I begged her to let me bring it to
a special holiday lunch with my French
class. My teacher, Madame Boutin, had
been teaching us basic food vocabulary: baguette and fromage, pomme and
poire, poulet and viande. Now we were
going to celebrate with a small brown-bag feast. When I came to class with
my mother’s coeur à la crème, Madame
Boutin oohed approvingly.
“Magnifique,” she breathed. It most
certainly was.
It’s sad, really, that with the end of
the ’80s white chocolate went the way
of Boy George and crimping irons.
Because coeur à la crème is really
something. That’s why I decided to trot
it out for an encore at a barbecue last
summer. It’s cool and unfussy and perfect for a warm, sticky night. We stood
together at the kitchen counter and ate it
straight from the serving platter, eight of
us with eager spoons, talking with our
mouths full. I highly recommend it, even
the straight-from-the-platter part.
Coeur à la Crème With Raspberry Purée
Though this dessert is traditionally served in
the shape of a heart, I can’t ask you in good
conscience to run out and buy a special mold
for this one recipe. I can’t even make myself go
out and buy one. It’s too cutesy.
Instead, I use a small colander. Mine has
a capacity of 1½ quarts, and it makes for a
handsome little dome. If your colander is larger,
that’s fine too; your dome will just be wider and
flatter. This dome-shaped version—a dôme à la
crème, as I call it—isn’t quite as glamorous as
the traditional coeur, but it tastes just as good.
Finally, I recommend using the best white
Adapted from Bon Appétit,
chocolate you can find. I like Valrhona.
February 1987
FOR COEUR/DOME
3 ounces white chocolate,
finely chopped
1 8-ounce package full-fat
cream cheese, at room
temperature
11/4 cups heavy cream, divided
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
FOR PURÉE
11 10-ounce bag frozen
unsweetened raspberries,
thawed
33 tablespoons sugar
From A Homemade Life, by Molly
Wizenberg. Copyright 2009 by Molly
Wizenberg. Reprinted by permission of
Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, N. Y.
11. Cut two sheets of cheesecloth
large enough to line the colander
(or mold); the sheets should
extend far enough beyond the
edge of the colander that you can
cover the filling when you fold
them over the top. Wet the
cheesecloth and wring it out well,
then place one on top of the
other. Press the sheets down
smoothly inside the colander,
letting the excess fall over the
side. Set aside.
2. In a microwavable bowl, heat
the white chocolate on high for
20-second intervals, stirring well
after each go, until smooth. Set
aside to cool slightly.
3. Combine the cream cheese,
1/4 cup of cream and the
powdered sugar in a medium
bowl. Using an electric mixer set
to medium speed, beat until light
and fluffy. Add the white chocolate
and beat until very smooth, about
2 minutes. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, beat
the remaining cup of cream until
it forms stiff peaks, then gently
fold it into the cream cheese
mixture with a spatula. Spoon the
batter into the colander,
smoothing the top with the
spatula; fold the cheesecloth over
to cover it completely. Place the
mold on a rimmed sheet pan or
other rimmed dish. Refrigerate for
at least 8 hours, or overnight.
5. Next, prepare the raspberry
purée. In a blender or food
processor, combine the thawed
raspberries (with their juice) and
the sugar. Blend until smooth.
Press the purée through a sieve
into a small bowl to remove the
seeds. Cover, and chill for up to
four hours.
6. When you’re ready to serve,
remove the mold from the
refrigerator and discard any liquid
that collected beneath it. Pull back
the cheesecloth and invert the
dessert onto a serving platter;
gently pull away the cheesecloth.
Serve in generous dollops in
shallow bowls and top with a
spoonful of raspberry sauce.
SERVES 6–8
LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL
MAY 09
