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.

For the coulis sauce:
If using frozen raspberries, there is no need to thaw them. Rinse with water and place into a saucepan.

Add the water, sugar and lemon zest. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
If you have an immersion blender, this makes pureeing the cooked fruit much easier. Otherwise, use a masher or a food mill.

Using a fine sieve, pour the pureed fruit about a cup at a time. Stir and push the sauce through, to sift out all of the seeds. This takes a few minutes, but it is worth the effort.

Return to the saucepan on low heat. Add 1-2 Tablespoons Chambord liqueur, if you are using it. It’s not essential, and the alcohol wears off.

I like my coulis sauce to be thicker, so I use an emulsion of 2 Tablespoons Clearjel (or cornstarch), thinned with a little cold water and whisked until it’s smooth. Slowly whisk this in to the fruit puree, over low heat, until it is thickened.

Remove from heat. Store in an airtight jar. I like to store my coulis sauce in a squeeze bottle, which makes decorating desserts a lot of fun and much easier.