A “LIGHTER” TREAT FOR YOUR SWEETHEART

My wife, Gail and I do enjoy romantic occasions and we think any excuse is good one for a celebration. We have had some pretty wonderful times “doing up” Valentine’s Day. Plenty of beautiful tablescapes, antique lace, hearts, flowers, candles and nice crackling fire… you get the idea. Of course, some really delicious cooking (when we stay at home) is always part of the equation. Chocolate desserts or at least a gift of one of the beautiful chocolate treats from Avanti Savoia help make the evening special as well.

This year we’ve decided to take a little different approach with a low-fat dessert. Our motivation for slimming down a bit is an upcoming April cooking engagement in Hawaii.
A working vacation is a hard proposition to refuse. A trip to Texas last April allowed us to not only to enjoy a fabulous time in Texas, but was also the opportunity to work with my brother, Austin catering chef David Lowery. David is going to return the favor by joining us for the job in Hawaii. What a deal!

Our inspiration this time around is the classic French Coeur a la Crème or “a heart with cream” dessert. Usually this creation consists of a mixture of cream cheese and sour cream, crème Fraiche or whipping cream and sugar. It is usually made in a heart-shaped basket or mold with holes in it to allow the watery whey to drain away. After being refrigerated over night, it is unmolded and served with fruit and sometimes a sauce.

The “lighter” idea is to substitute strained non-fat yogurt for the usual mixture of dairy products. We think that our idea works quite well, looks good and taste delicious. It is still made with sugar and has plenty of carbs, but a ½ cup serving is only around 125 calories with no fat or cholesterol. I can assure you however, that I wouldn’t eat or serve it if it didn’t taste good.

“Coeur” a la Yogurt

One 32 oz. carton of plain non-fat yogurt
¼ cup blush wine
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tblsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon or orange zest, finely chopped
Fresh strawberries or raspberries for garnish

1. Line a large stainless steel strainer with a couple of layers of cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Empty the carton of yogurt into the strainer, cover and refrigerate for several hours.
2. When ready to assemble the “Coeur”, combine wine and gelatin in a small saucepan and let sit for a few minutes to soften. Heat and stir over a low heat until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt (discard the whey) and the dissolved gelatin with the rest of the ingredients. Blend well and evenly.
4. Line a 3-cup heart shaped mold with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. To serve, unmold onto a serving platter and garnish with fresh strawberries or raspberries. If desired, the “Coeur” can also be served with a fresh berry sauce or coulis.

Fresh Berry Sauce

1 pint fresh strawberries or raspberries
½ cup sugar
Dash of brandy or other liqueur

1. Combine all ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and chill.
3. Drizzle over servings of the “Coeur” or serve the sauce in a little pitcher on the side.


Still need a little chocolate? Do what we did and drizzle some of the Leaning Oaks Vineyard’s Cabernet & Chocolate Wine Sauce over the top of the “Coeur” & berries.