Howdy neighbors! The pace has finally picked up in several areas. Firstly, I’m about to be gainfully employed. I have to pass a background check, which will be cake because I’m not very interesting, and then off I go. I’m pretty excited about it even though it’s not the kind of money I’m used to. In this economy any money is better than no money. Also it’ll allow me to cultivate clients for my own interior design business, which I’m gonna take the plunge and do. The best part: the company doesn’t mind and my design clients who shop where I work will pay my commission. Ha! The second equally exciting thing is I’ve finally broken the 200 pound barrier and as of last night weigh 195. That’s in the vicinity of -35 pounds and a very big deal. So despite girl’s night with the sugary contraband, progress continues. :)
Speaking of girl’s night, I wanted to share a recipe I tried for this past one. I tore it out of the Ladies’ Home Journal while waiting at my mom-in-law’s eye appointment some weeks ago and finally make it. It’s called Coeur a la Crème with Raspberry Puree. Basically it means “dome of cream” in French. Ok, here’s where I encountered a number of problems; firstly, the recipe has lengthy instructions (though easy) and I didn’t want to take up the whole blog with it, secondly, my laptop doesn’t speak to my scanner, so scanning a picture of the recipe for those who are interested is also a bust, thirdly, I haven’t been able to locate the exact recipe on any website I’ve searched so far, including the Ladies Home Journal where the damn thing came from. So if you’re not into recipes stop reading here and skip to the next chunk of large text.
For Coeur/Dome
3 oz white chocolate, finely chopped (I used ½ C of chips, which is 4 oz but close enough)
1 8-oz package full-fat cream cheese, room temp (yes, it says full fat, that’s not me)
1-1/4 C heavy cream, divided
¾ C powdered sugar, sifted (I didn’t bother sifting, no issues)
For Puree
1 10-oz bag frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
3 T sugar
1. Cut two sheets of cheesecloth large enough to line the colander; the sheets should extend far enough beyond the edge of the colander so 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, ¼ C 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, and then gently fold 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 colander on a rimmed dish. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or over night.
5. Next, prepare the raspberry puree. In a blender or food processor, combine the thawed raspberries (with their juice) and the sugar. Blend until smooth. Press the puree through a sieve into a small bowl to remove the seeds. Cover, and chill until ready to serve.
6. When you’re ready to serve, remove the colander from the refrigerator and discard and liquid that collected beneath it. Pull back the cheesecloth and invert the dessert onto a serving platter; gently pull away cheesecloth. Serve in generous dollops in shallow bowls and top with a spoonful of raspberry sauce. Serves 6-8.
Now, a few things I’d like to point out: firstly, the cream portion of this recipe is extremely sweet and I found liberal amounts of sauce helped tone it down a little (my husband who doesn’t eat raspberries and tried it plain described it as kicking his teeth in), secondly, I used a blender for the sauce because I don’t have all the cool kitchen toys and had to add water to get anything moving and the blender to stop spinning fruitlessly. We’re going to try again but substitute dark chocolate and strawberries instead. I’ll keep you posted.
You may begin reading again.
In other news, Honey has taken to beating the neighbors at darts, dominoes, and now chess. I mention this because he’s very proud of it and they’re very upset by it. He does keep things interesting.
The photography has been pretty sparse lately. I know this is dubbed as our “travel and photography” blog, but I figure it’s mine and I’ll put up whatever I feel like, thank you very much. Besides, without our usual wandering ways, the impromptu and amazing finds have definitely dropped off. Hopefully when things get situated again, my new schedule worked out, etc, etc, we’ll be back at it and there’ll be too many pictures to post. Also, Honey's birthday is Memorial Day and I am woefully unprepared, not to mention broke. All ideas are welcome. Until next time…
Speaking of girl’s night, I wanted to share a recipe I tried for this past one. I tore it out of the Ladies’ Home Journal while waiting at my mom-in-law’s eye appointment some weeks ago and finally make it. It’s called Coeur a la Crème with Raspberry Puree. Basically it means “dome of cream” in French. Ok, here’s where I encountered a number of problems; firstly, the recipe has lengthy instructions (though easy) and I didn’t want to take up the whole blog with it, secondly, my laptop doesn’t speak to my scanner, so scanning a picture of the recipe for those who are interested is also a bust, thirdly, I haven’t been able to locate the exact recipe on any website I’ve searched so far, including the Ladies Home Journal where the damn thing came from. So if you’re not into recipes stop reading here and skip to the next chunk of large text.
For Coeur/Dome
3 oz white chocolate, finely chopped (I used ½ C of chips, which is 4 oz but close enough)
1 8-oz package full-fat cream cheese, room temp (yes, it says full fat, that’s not me)
1-1/4 C heavy cream, divided
¾ C powdered sugar, sifted (I didn’t bother sifting, no issues)
For Puree
1 10-oz bag frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
3 T sugar
1. Cut two sheets of cheesecloth large enough to line the colander; the sheets should extend far enough beyond the edge of the colander so 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, ¼ C 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, and then gently fold 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 colander on a rimmed dish. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or over night.
5. Next, prepare the raspberry puree. In a blender or food processor, combine the thawed raspberries (with their juice) and the sugar. Blend until smooth. Press the puree through a sieve into a small bowl to remove the seeds. Cover, and chill until ready to serve.
6. When you’re ready to serve, remove the colander from the refrigerator and discard and liquid that collected beneath it. Pull back the cheesecloth and invert the dessert onto a serving platter; gently pull away cheesecloth. Serve in generous dollops in shallow bowls and top with a spoonful of raspberry sauce. Serves 6-8.
Now, a few things I’d like to point out: firstly, the cream portion of this recipe is extremely sweet and I found liberal amounts of sauce helped tone it down a little (my husband who doesn’t eat raspberries and tried it plain described it as kicking his teeth in), secondly, I used a blender for the sauce because I don’t have all the cool kitchen toys and had to add water to get anything moving and the blender to stop spinning fruitlessly. We’re going to try again but substitute dark chocolate and strawberries instead. I’ll keep you posted.
You may begin reading again.
In other news, Honey has taken to beating the neighbors at darts, dominoes, and now chess. I mention this because he’s very proud of it and they’re very upset by it. He does keep things interesting.
The photography has been pretty sparse lately. I know this is dubbed as our “travel and photography” blog, but I figure it’s mine and I’ll put up whatever I feel like, thank you very much. Besides, without our usual wandering ways, the impromptu and amazing finds have definitely dropped off. Hopefully when things get situated again, my new schedule worked out, etc, etc, we’ll be back at it and there’ll be too many pictures to post. Also, Honey's birthday is Memorial Day and I am woefully unprepared, not to mention broke. All ideas are welcome. Until next time…
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