Coeur à la Crème with Strawberry-Currant Sauce
A beautiful make ahead dessert that is basically a no-bake, crustless, gluten-free cheesecake!
Servings: 8
Calories: 366kcal
Ingredients
Coeur à la Crème
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar confectioners sugar
- 1 vanilla bean - see Note
- 3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- Pinch salt
Strawberry-Currant Sauce
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries stemmed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup red currant jelly see Substitution below
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
Instructions
Coeur à la Crème
- Line a 7-inch heart-shaped Coeur à la Crème mold (see Note below) with enough cheesecloth to drape over the sides and cover the top of the filled mold.
- In a medium bowl, using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff. Set aside.
- In a second bowl, also using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. (Yes, I like to use the whisk attachment to do this step, it's not a typo. I think it makes the cream cheese even fluffier. You can use the paddle attachment if you prefer).
- Add the powdered sugar and beat again until well mixed. Scrape the seeds from inside of the vanilla bean and add to cream cheese mixture, along with the lemon zest and salt. Mix until well blended.
- Fold whipped cream into whipped cheese mixture. Spoon into prepared mold, pressing down to remove any air pockets and smoothing the top. Wrap cheesecloth over the top. Place on top of a plate (to catch any drips) and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Strawberry-Currant Sauce
- At least one hour before serving, make the strawberry sauce: Coarsely chop enough strawberries to measure 1 1/2 cups. Place in a medium mixing bowl and stir in lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, bring currant jelly and sherry to a boil, stirring. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring, until jelly is completely melted.
- Stir into chopped strawberries. Let cool to room temperature.
To Serve
- Remove the heart mold from the refrigerator and peel back the cheesecloth from the top.
- Place a large round serving dish over the top and invert. Carefully remove the mold, then the cheesecloth. Smooth over any gaps or lines from the cheesecloth (see Tip below).
- Spoon sauce and strawberries around the side.
- Quarter and use remaining strawberries for garnish as needed.
Notes
Substitution for vanilla bean: You can substitute 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste.
Substitution for red currant jelly: If you can’t find red currant jelly, use black currant jelly, apple jelly or grape jelly. You might want to add a bit more lemon juice. Can also use currant fruit spread; pour through a strainer into strawberries and push on solids to extract all the juice.
Note on serving: I think the Coeur and sauce taste best at room temperature.
Tip on unmolding: Before I flip over the molded Coeur, I take a table knife and evenly scrape off around 2 tablespoons of the crème from what will be the bottom. After flipping over, I use the portion I scraped off like icing, to fill in any gaps and cover over any marks.
Make ahead: Coeur can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Sauce can also be made up to 24 hours ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated. Bring both to room temperature before serving.
Variation on mold: If you don’t have a Coeur à la Crème mold, you can use a small colander or sieve. Your molded Coeur will be round instead of heart-shaped, but will taste just as good!
Nutrition
Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 1044IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 0.5mg