Sometimes a roommate is the perfect date

Here’s the truth about my Valentine’s Day: I didn’t have anyone to cook a romantic dinner for. Not even a friend; somehow they all seemed to have dates or be out of town. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough to score myself a dining companion, but as dinnertime rolled around on Sunday night I was feeling pretty darn sorry for myself. Just as I had decided to settle for a dinner of cold leftovers, my roommate Joe walked in the door with two big bags of groceries. Thank goodness. Joe cooked us dinner as I kept our glasses full of prosecco and his ear full of my stories of the wows (and yes, joys too) of my single life. Just because I couldn’t resist, and just because I have two adorable little heart shaped coeur á la crème molds that only get used around Valentine’s Day every year, I had made two couers á la crème the day before, which sat waiting in the fridge just in case I happened to find myself a Valentine’s Day dinning companion. Surrounded by fresh strawberries in a quickly boiled creme de cassis sauce, the couers á la crème sweetened our night and let me celebrate the holiday at hand without feeling sorry for myself. Sometimes a roommate makes for the best unplanned date. Thank you for being my Valentine Joe. 
 

When I made my couers á la crème I didn’t have all the ingredients called for in this recipe I wanted to follow, so I had to improvise a bit, and used a combination of Greek yogurt, fresh goat cheese, and creme cheese. It actually worked quiet well. The secret to the structure of a coeur á la crème is letting it sit and drain in the fridge for at least 24 hours, so make sure to plan ahead on this one.

Individual Couers á la Crème with Strawberries 
serves 2

3 oz fresh goat cheese
2 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Soak two 6x6inch pieces of cheesecloth in cold water, then squeeze dry and use to line two 4-inch coeur á la crème molds. 
With a hand held electric mixer (or a whisk) beat together the goat cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, honey, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. 
Force the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps. 
Divide the mixture between the molds, then fold cheesecloth over the tops and press lightly. 
Refrigerate the molds in a shallow pan or dish (to catch drips) overnight. 
To unmold coeurs, fold back cheesecloth and invert onto a plate, then remove the cheesecloth. 
Serve garnished with fresh berries.  

 
   
 
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