COEUR à LA CRèME

Coeur à la Crème image

Provided by Orlando Murrin

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 7

3/4 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup cream cheese (such as Philadelphia)
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 cups crème fraîche
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp plain yogurt
soft fruits and confectioners' sugar, optioinal, to serve
You will need 6 small china perforated heart-shaped_coeur à la crème_dishes, or one large heart-shaped dish, and enough muslin or cheesecloth to doubleline them

Steps:

I am amused when guests comment how light the cream is-this is pure sleight of hand, as the ingredients are extremely rich. If you are serving this, skip the cheese course.
The aim is to whip the white ingredients into a smooth homogenous cream. Process the mascarpone, cream cheese and sugar, then briefly whiz in the other ingredients, scraping down sides of the processor.
Line the molds with wet muslin or cheesecloth, leaving enough to fold over the top so they are completely enclosed, and place them in a rimmed dish or tray. (The muslin can be put through the washing machine and reused, but it does shrink, so the first time you use it cut it out very generously to allow for this.) Mound up the filling in the molds-it will gently sink as it drains-and set the tray aside in the fridge for about 8 hours. Then remove and carefully invert the molds, peel away the muslin, and serve surrounded with fruits. Dust with confectioners' sugar if you wish.