Coeur à la Crème

Ingredients

• 1.250 gram cream cheese
• 2.100 gram castor sugar
• 3.0.5 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 4.salt, pinch
• 5.heavy cream
• 6.light cream
• 7.0.25 cup red currant jelly, the savoury type served with roast lamb; for strawberry sauce
• 8.2 tablespoon strawberry or raspberry liqueur, Liqueur de Fraise or Framboise; for strawberry sauce
• 9.1.5 cup strawberries, sliced fresh; for strawberry sauce
• 10.1 tablespoon lemon juice, for strawberry sauce

Method

1. 1.Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Use Mixmaster.
2. 2.Slowly add the sugar and beat until dissolved.
3. 3.Add the vanilla essence and salt. Beat.
4. 4.The cheese will become thin and runny at this stage.
5. 5.Beat the creams together until they just hold their shape.
6. 6.Fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped creams.
7. 7.Cut a length of cheese cloth or mutton cloth 1½ times the size of the coeur à la crème mould.
8. 8.Soak the cloth in iced water and wring out.
9. 9.Line the mould with the cloth and fill with the cream cheese mixture. Dome slightly.
10. 10.Cover with the ends of the damp cloth.
11. 11.Put the mould on a rack over a dish (e.g. a soup plate). This allows the dessert to drain and set.
12. 12.Put in fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
13. 13.Unmould onto a flat dish and remove the cloth. Decorate with fresh leaves and strawberries.
14. 14.Serve with a strawberry sauce.
15. 15.STRAWBERRY SAUCE: Put a little pot, the red currant jelly and the liqueur. Stir over medium heat until the jelly melts. Let the melted jelly cool. Coat the sliced strawberries with the lemon juice. Put aside until almost time to serve. Fold the strawberries into the jelly. Strangely enough, the coated strawberries melt the jelly. Put sauce in a glass serving dish.

Notes

• Card lists: '¼ pint heavy and ½ pint light cream. 250 ml. = ¾ pint.' The ml figure (250ml) is inconsistent with ¾ pint (≈ 425ml). Likely the card means ¼ pint heavy + ½ pint light = ¾ pint total.
• If you do not have the correct coeur à la crème mould, drain the cream cheese mixture through a wet cloth for 2 hours. Line a simple mould with another damp cloth — the cloth aids the unmoulding process — fill with the mixture. Complete as above.
• Coeur à la crème moulds are heart-shaped with holes for drainage.