For a recent neighborhood dinner, my friend Deb was charged with bringing dessert. Around noon that day, she texted me to ask if I had a coeur a la creme mold.

A whaaaaat?

I mean, I should have known. I’m the neighborhood kitchen gadget girl. My kitchen is her kitchen when it comes to equipment, and vice versa. But I not only did not have this one, I had to look it up to figure out what she meant.

When I did look it up, I offered to drive anywhere to find one. Cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean, with raspberry sauce. Yum.

I put an all points bulletin out on my Facebook page. My friend Laura Grimmer, who runs Perfect Pear, the cooking store at 51 Main Street in Chester, quickly replied that she had them for sale, both a large one, about 7 inches across, and individual, about 4 inches across, in white porcelain.

But by the time I got back to Deb, she had already improvised, using her stainless steel steamer, about 8 inches in diameter, with the stockpot underneath to catch the drips. She lined it with cheesecloth, whipped up the ingredients, popped it in the fridge, and was hoping for the best. Lifting it out was really tricky, she says, and a little nerve wracking, and once she got it onto a plate she was not able to move it (so choose your serving plate wisely!), but it worked and it looked beautiful and we all loved, loved, loved it!

Truth be told, next time I’m in Chester, I’m going to stock up because I love the dessert so much, and the little heart shaped molds are adorable, but if you’re caught short, do like Deb and just make do.

Kinda Coeur a La Creme

(with Raspberries)

Adapted from a recipe from Barefoot Contessa

12 ounces of room temperature cream cheese

1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

2 ½ cups cold heavy cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

Serve with raspberry sauce (see recipe)

1 pint fresh raspberries

Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula. Change to the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla seeds. Beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream. Line a mold (ideally one that is heart-shaped, but whatever you are working with) with cheesecloth. Drape the ends of the cheesecloth over the sides. If you have a traditional heart mold, place it on a plate, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the mold and the plate 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, and unmold the cream onto a plate, moving slowly and carefully, as this can be the hardest part of this recipe, transferring it successfully to the serving plate.

Serve with raspberries and sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

1 half-pint fresh raspberries

½ cup sugar

1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam

1 tablespoon framboise liqueur

Place the raspberries, sugar, and ¼ 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 framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill. Makes about two cups.

Check out the original recipe, and more of Barefoot Contessa’s recipes at barefootcontessa.com