VALENTINES DAY DESSERT..............

I love holidays! Januarys holiday seems to come and go with the First but as the sprinkles of
snow flutter through the air .............I am thinking Valentines Day.......... I saw this pretty little
dessert ........that is full of sugar; cream cheese and good things to enjoy and I thought this
might be a nice one to share for Valentines day coming up next month............
I found it on the Barefoot Contessa site and she always cooks good! I made some changes
that I have noted with stars ** ; that I dont think will not affect the recipe...........So........ this is an idea to think on for the holiday
.......... I also noted she put the ingredients in this special bowl to chill..........You might find this at Walmart..........It seemed easy..........Mix; chill; add fruit and sauce.............

I bought several Valentine cards yesterday......and put up my kitchen Valentine colors and bath hand towels for a bit of cheer!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 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* I wouldnt probably use this but you may
  
• Raspberry and *orange extract
  
• 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 Sauce around the base. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.

Raspberry and Sauce:

1 half-pint fresh raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup seedless raspberry jam

2 tablespoons orange-flavored **extract

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 extract into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.