Coeur a la Crème with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce

Berries, Desserts, French, Gluten-Free / Monday, August 4th, 2008

coeur a la creme 2

Internet! So many things have happened since I started moving a few weeks ago. Like sweating. And stinking. To say that I smelled like a 15-year-old boy would be an insult to all 15-year-old boys. And descending into heat-induced madness.

The animals went first.

I’m eating breakfast when I hear something hit the floor. So, I run to the bedroom, thinking Henry the Cat has knocked a moving box off the bed. Then I hear THUNK THUNK THUNK. And there’s my purebred, longed-for, hard-won Henry the Wonderdog, running around the room with his front half stuck in the top of the litter box and Henry the Cat in claws-out pursuit of his box-thievin’ hide. Only Henry can’t see where he’s going on account of the box, so he’s bumping into every table, box, and hamper trying to escape the feline fury. Yelp! Yelp! Hissssssssss.

I catch Henry, dislodge him from the litter box, and toss him into Maximum Security, where he buries his head under a blanket, away from the glare of Henry the Cat, who perches on the coffee table to give him the stink-eye all afternoon.

That dog better not drop the soap anytime soon.

My mind was the next to go. After all the excitement, I had to make a trip to Wal-Mart, where I’m going to have my mail forwarded, and stop by the bank and a few other places. So, Jeff gets home and points to my back pocket: “What’s that?”

I reach around and feel something lacy. Because I have trekked all over town with A PAIR OF PANTIES hanging out of my back pocket. Purple, lacy, undeniable panties.

“Oh my God, I look like a slutty hobo.”

“You put the ‘ho’ in hobo.”

And then we both lost our minds. Jeff and I make our last trip to the old house to replace the toilet seat and drip pans and leave our keys on the kitchen counter. Only, when we get there, the new tenant has already moved in. There we are, about to let ourselves in through the back door as he’s coming out. And we’re just standing there, holding this toilet seat, looking like the WORST JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES EVER.

But now, things are settling down, and we’re settling in. We know where our socks are. The Henrys are back to synchronized napping. And we have actual groceries.

My first recipe at the new house was a Barefoot Bloggers extra challenge: Ina Garten’s Coeur a la Crème with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce. You get the flavor of cheesecake without the baking, and the sauce is pretty amazing.

I’m choosing the August Barefoot Blogger Recipe Challenge, so I hope you sign up. Otherwise I’ll be forced to show up at your house with my panties in my pocket and head in the litter box, offering up the simple gift of a new toilet seat.

Coeur a la Crème with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce

Adapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot in Paris”

  • 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
  1. Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl. Switch to the whisk attachment.
  2. With the mixer on low speed, add the cream, vanilla, lemon zest and vanilla bean seeds. Beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.
  3. Line a 7-inch sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels so the ends drape over the sides, and suspend it over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.
  4. To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce around the base. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.

*Gluten-Free Tip: Make sure your confectioners’ sugar is gluter-free.

Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce

  • 1 half-pint fresh raspberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup seedless raspberry jam*
  • 2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
  1. Place raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes.
  2. Pour the cooked raspberries, jam and orange liqueur into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and process until smooth. Chill.

*Gluten-Free Tip: Use GF jam.

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22 thoughts on “Coeur a la Crème with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce”

  1. “Oh my God, I look like a slutty hobo.”

    I haven’t laughed out loud like that in ages. And I can’t seem to stop! Thanks for sharing!

  2. Oh, I am so happy you are back…it just wasn’t the same without you.

    Giggle on the panties.

    Love the Barefoot bloggers idea and have cooked probably 90% of Ina’s cookbooks over the years…fun to see what you all do each week. This looks absolutely amazing and delightful.

  6. oh poor bec. At least they were lacy and pretty. Imagine if they were dingy white with the elastic split. Now those make a completely different statement.

  12. This is something for my boyfriend who loves all things dairy (that’s his half French side), and since I don’t have the book (yet), I thank you for sharing the recipe!

  13. You “slutty hobo” you. You made me spew crackers and tuna all over my desk. (Didn’t that paint a pretty picture?)

    Your couer a la creme looks great. Glad you’re settling in.

  15. I was all excited that I had just discovered your blog…and then you disappeared for a bit! I’m glad you are back! Your post cracked me up! Can’t wait to try the BB Grilled Pizza (it’s like you read my mind!)

  16. This was toooooo funny. Panties, socks, footies, maxi pad paper backing – yes, we have all been there. Hope you moving woes are now over and look forward to reading your blog. LOVE the name btw.

  17. I’m not laughing AT YOU, per se, but the visual of you standing at the door of your ex-home, toilet seat in hand…that’s too much.

    Happy new housewarming, by the way. :-)

  18. I can see I need to keep this page as my homepage for the next little while. I have to know how to keep sane while we move so I am going to be looking at your blog posts for advice and salvation!!! We move on the 29th August and to date not much has been packed. Hubs wants to get rid of everything but I have precious stuff that he cannot touch – like my foodie magazines cos I might just need them some time, and if he does…….he’s going to be the one with those purple panties over his head and his rear end in the box lying out in the middle of the road!!!

  21. I just found your blog, thank you so much for that bit of comic relief after a long day. Thank you!
    My hubby & I will be celebrating our first year in our new house in about a month, and I can definitely relate to the insanity! I look forward to more of your humor & cooking. We have 3 cats…haven’t been brave enough to add a dog to the mix…I think we would be getting the stink eye forever if we did that! lol

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