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June 2009
Molded Fresh Cream Cheese
Coeur à la Crème
photo by France Ruffenach
The perfect dessert
on a hot summer day, Coeur or crémets is made of whipped
crème fraîche lightened with egg white meringue, then left to
drain in cheesecloth. Often the mixture, in effect a fresh cream
cheese, is molded in a heart shape (coeur). In the Loire
Valley where this dessert is most popular, you’ll find porcelain
molds, pierced with holes for drainage, in several sizes. An
inexpensive alternative is to poke holes in a metal cake pan,
heart-shaped or a simple round. To provide a sweet, even fluffier
contrast, the mold is traditionally served with Chantilly Cream
and, most important of all, fresh red berries arranged in a
necklace around the heart.
Serves 6
- 2 cups/500
milliliters/16 fluid ounces crème fraîche
- 4 egg whites
- Fresh
raspberries or strawberries, for serving
- Sugar, for
serving
Chantilly cream
- 1 cup/250
milliliters/8 fluid ounces crème fraîche or heavy cream
- 1 to 2
tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon
vanilla
-
1-quart/1-liter/1 3/4-pint coeur à la crème mold, or 6
individual molds; cheesecloth
Line the molds with
cheesecloth. Chill the crème fraîche and whip it in a large bowl
until it holds soft peaks. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites
until stiff. Stir about a quarter of the egg whites into the crème
fraîche, then fold the mixture into the remaining whites. Spoon
the mixture into the mold, filling well into the corners, and
cover with plastic wrap. Set it on a tray to catch the drips and
place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. It keeps well for
up to 36 hours, setting more firmly and acquiring more taste.
An hour or two before serving, make
the Chantilly cream (see glossary). Turn the coeur out onto a flat
serving dish and arrange the raspberries or strawberries around
the edge. Serve with separate bowls of sugar and chilled Chantilly
cream.
Excerpted from THE COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE
by Anne Willan, Chronicle Books, 2007.
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