Coeur a la Creme - Well, Sort of....

I love Ina Garten.  you know, the Barefoot Contessa.  I originally started watching her because I missed my friend Lesia and Ina looks like Lesia and it was sort of like a little visit with her.  I still think of Lesia when i watch Ina, but now I am kinda wishing that Ina was related to me. 

Auntie Ina?     

Yes!  That has quite a ring to it!!

Yesterday she made Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce.   Yum!!  It looked soooo good! 

So I thought I'd make it.  But as usual, the grocery fairies had neglected to drop off all the ingredients - I've GOT to get new fairies...

And then Audrey reminded me that I'd promised to make to make banana pudding, but I didn't want to stand over the stove and cook pudding...

So here is my version of Coeur a la Creme... kind of a cheater version... Cheatin' Coeurs if you will...

Take one room temp 8 oz block of cream cheese and beat with a paddle attachment.  Add 1/3 of a cup or so of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of grand Marnier (or whatever you have - mine is the el cheapo version..I think it's called gran torino or something like that..)  Beat until smooth.  Change to to the whisk attachment and add a half pint carton of heavy cream and beat until it is like seriously whipped cream.  Taste to make sure it is sweet enough, and resist the urge to just stand there and eat it with a spoon.
Then I put Nilla wafers in the bottom of a serving bowl, put 1/3 of cream mixture over the wafers.  Then, another layer of nilla wafers and in deference to Audrey, I added a layer of sliced bananas.  After that I put the rest of the cream mixture and put nilla wafers all around the edge.



Yumm!!

Here is Ina's recipe for those of you who want a more sophisticated version...

Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce

 Copyright 2004, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved

 Ingredients

• 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

Directions

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 with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla bean seeds and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

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.
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.

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)
Place raspberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and orange liqueur into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.
Yield: 2 cups