Savory Coeur a la Creme
Coeur a la Creme is one of my most favorite things in the whole world.
I’ve made Ina Garten’s sweet version, Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce before and it ranks up there in the top five things I’ve ever made.
Ever.
So when Anne Strawberry chose Savory Coeur a la Creme for the April bonus Barefoot Bloggers recipe, I was all over it.
I whipped this up in only a few minutes then balled it up inside a cheesecloth and placed it in a bowl in the fridge. Ina’s sweet version didn’t have any excess moisture drip out so no worries about not using the specialty molds with the holes in the bottom for this one. Even cutting the recipe in half still made a pretty large amount, especially for just two of us.
For the chutney, Ina recommends the brand Cross and Blackwell Major Grey’s. I couldn’t find this particular brand so I used Kitchens of India’s Sweet Sliced Mango Chutney. I’m assuming this was close enough, but next time I might give it a whir in the food processor since the mango pieces were a bit big.
I was not disappointed, this was good. It was sort of spicy, a little peppery, kind of sweet, and smooth and chunky at the same time. If it wasn’t for all the cream cheese and heavy cream (and those little things called calories didn’t exist… Booooo!!!) I think I’d eat Coeur a la Creme every day, the savory for dinner and the sweet for dessert.
Thanks to Anne for another great choice. She always picks the best recipes when it’s her turn to choose. 
Ina Garten’s Savory Coeur a la Creme
Show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Say Cheese
Ingredients
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle chutney (recommended: Cross and Blackwell Major Grey’s)
Crackers, for serving
Click here for directions!
Be Berry Surprised…
This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was Berry Surprise Cake chosen by Mary Ann of Meet Me in the Kitchen. This cake is probably one of my favorite TWD selections to date.
I was excited to make this one since it’s one of the things in The Book that always caught my interest. I love super decadent desserts (in moderation, of course), but my real soft spot is for things like this cake that are only slightly sweet and have fresh fruit as a main component. The cake has a hollowed out center with berries and a cream cheese filling hidden inside. A whipped cream topping covers everything with a few fresh berries on top for show.
I halved the recipe and used two 4 inch springform pans to bake in. I had no problems making any of the four elements of the recipe: A Génoise cake layer (which is pretty similar to my favorite Hot Milk Sponge Cake), a simple syrup (I just used raspberry jam mixed with water and sugar), the cream cheese filling (I added a little extra vanilla and sugar to this), and the whipped cream topping. Everything was very easy. I had my own surprise though when I went to the fridge to get the raspberries I had bought for this and found mold growing on them. I’m telling you, surprise trips to the grocery store are always a bad surprise. I was even more surprised when my local grocery store had no raspberries for sale at all. I chose to do blackberry instead.
My génoise sunk in the middle which seemed to be a common problem amongst other bakers. I didn’t really care about this too much since I was making mini cakes. You have to cut a hole out of the middle anyway, so I figured having a baked in hole already saved me a step. The only issue was I didn’t have a top layer to cut off to cover the inside. I just loaded it up with extra filling and whipped cream. No worries.
I would probably only make this cake for serving at my home, I don’t think it would be something I would bring to a party, etc. It does look beautiful though considering how casual it is. And it’s absolutely delicious.
Thanks to Mary Ann for choosing Berry Surprise Cake for the January 20th, 2009 edition of Tuesdays with Dorie, it was a great pick. Please head over to Meet Me in the Kitchen to view the recipe and see what Mary Ann had to say about her choice. Then if you want to see even more cakes, stop by the TWD site to check out about 400 more Berry Surprises.
Next week, Heather of Sherry Trifle chose Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread. See you next Tuesday!
These are so good… I’m kind of scared!
Every so often I come across a recipe that really catches my eye. I put another little bookmark in my favorites folder and think to myself “crap, this list of stuff to make is getting huge!” The day these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies showed up in my reader from Peabody’s blog, I honed right in and quickly saved the link for future reference. A little while later, I saw them over at Susan’s blog and then again at Pamela’s and after reading all the good things being said about them, I knew this particular bookmark wouldn’t stay dormant in my folder for long.
Since I had exactly enough leftover pumpkin puree from my TWD Pumpkin Muffins to make a half a batch of pies, I got right to it. They took no time at all to put together and while I baked I made three different batches of the cream cheese filling: regular, Peabody’s maple version and Susan’s cinnamon version.
These are good. Too damn good. I ate way more than I should have. I started with one, then two, then… never mind. I had thought about bringing these in for my friends at work, but once I tasted the first one I quickly changed my mind. 
“Mine… allllll mine!” I said in an evil tone between bites.
The cake part was absolutely perfect. It was moist, had a great flavor and instantly I knew this recipe was a keeper. Once put together, I preferred the maple and cinnamon fillings although I couldn’t decide between the two which one was my favorite. As for the plain filling version, it was definitely too sickening sweet for me. It wasn’t bad or anything, but what a difference a little added flavoring made to mellow out the overly sweet taste.
These will definitely be added to my Fall recipe rotation. This was the first thing I’ve made in a while that I actually told someone about the next day. Like “I made these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies last night and damn, they were good! Oh right, I couldn’t bring you any because I ate them all. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
You must make these. You will not be disappointed. Though I’m warning you ahead of time that they are addicting. Head on over to Culinary Concoctions by Peabody for the recipe. If you’re interested in the cinnamon version of the filling stop by Susan’s She’s Becoming Doughmesstic! Maybe next time I make these I’ll be ready to share. But maybe not!
BB Bonus: Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce
The Barefoot Bloggers June Bonus Recipe Challenge Winner was Becke of Columbus Foodie. That gave her the opportunity to choose the first ever BB bonus recipe. These picks are optional for all the bloggers to make but once I took a look at the Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce, there was no way I was sitting this one out.
I did some research and found that Coeur a la Creme is a classic French fresh cheese dessert that translates to “Heart of Cream”. It’s traditionally made in a heart shaped porcelain mold with holes in the bottom so any excess liquid can drain out while it sits overnight. However, I didn’t have one of the molds so I got to thinking what could work and came up with this:
PLUS
= It worked out fine. All I did was put a cheesecloth inside the cookie cutter, filled it up with the creme and then turned it out. Maybe my heart would have been more beauteous had I used the mold but I’m not complaining. I already owned the colander and the cookie cutter cost me 59 cents at AC Moore. Works for me.
Let me just say that this was one of the best things I have ever made. My boyfriend agreed, he couldn’t stay out of it. It’s so easy to make but then comes across totally fancy. The Raspberry and Grand Marnier sauce is soooo good.
Ina Garten’s Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce
Show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Birthday Gift Dinner
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
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce, recipe follows
2 half-pints fresh raspberries
Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce:
1 half-pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
Directions
What I did: Used a colander and cookie cutter instead of the porcelain mold. No excess liquid drained out overnight though, maybe it’s common with other versions, just not Ina’s.
What I changed: I used extra vanilla instead of the scraped vanilla beans. I only had one pint of raspberries so I didn’t have enough after making the sauce to serve fresh raspberries with the Creme.
What I thought: Fabulous. I will make this again.
Thanks to Becke for picking such a great bonus recipe. Be sure to stop by Columbus Foodie to check out her Coeur a la Creme and then make your way over to Barefoot Bloggers and see how everyone else’s turned out. I know I can’t wait to see them.
