Ice Cream Heart

This is an easy gourmet ice cream heart dessert for Valentine's Day - all you need is:* Vanilla Ice Cream (a simple recipe below, or buy a good commercial brand)* Chocolate Ganache (simple recipe below or use commercial brand of sauce)* Strawberry fan garnish with a stem attached, 1 per person* mint sprigs, 1 per person* heart-shaped cookie cutter, 1 per person * Plastic Wrap* Strawberry Coulis Sauce (a simple recipe below or use jam thinned with water)* a plastic squirt bottle for the strawberry coulis sauce or jam* a toothpick or knife with a sharp tip Serves 2 Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe - or to make it easy, use a good quality commercial brand 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 2 tablespoons sugar 1 large egg yolk 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract In a saucepan bring the heavy whipping cream and sugar to a boil over medium high heat. Place the egg yolk in a small mixing bowl. Slowly (so that it does not scramble) beat in about 2 tablespoons of the hot cream and sugar mixture into the beaten yolk. Add the egg yolk mixture to the cream and sugar in the saucepan and whisk rapidly for several seconds. Do not let it boil. Remove the pan from the heat. The cream sauce should thicken sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon. If the sauce is too thin, return the cream sauce back on the heat and whisk several more seconds. If the mixture is lumpy, strain into a large bowl. Cool the mixture and set aside. Note: if you do not want to take the time to make the vanilla ice cream, you can purchase a commercial brand of vanilla ice cream. Line each heart shape cookie cutter with a large piece of plastic wrap making sure the wrap is pushed down in the corners and on all sides in the mold otherwise your ice cream heart will not look like a heart. Place the plastic lined cookie cutters on a flat container. Spoon the ice cream mixture into each mold and level the ice cream, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 6 hours or overnight. Note: Set aside 2 teaspoons of ice cream for garnishing the chocolate ganache. Chocolate Ganache Sauce Recipe 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoons corn syrup 1-1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped In a heavy medium-size saucepan, bring the heavy whipping cream and corn syrup to a simmer; remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer the chocolate ganache to a small microwave safe container, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. This can be made several days ahead of time. When ready to use, place the container in the microwave for a few seconds so that it is soft enough to use. Strawberry Coulis Sauce 2 - 3 Strawberries, stems removed 1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch Cut the strawberries into very small pieces and place them in a small fine sieve; with the back of a spoon, push the strawberries through the sieve to remove the seeds. Put the strained strawberry coulis sauce in a small microwave container, add the cornstarch, mix well and microwave for 1 minute, stir well again and microwave again until the mixture thickens. Remove from the microwave and transfer the mixture to a plastic squeeze bottle and refrigerate until ready to use. This can be made ahead of time. When ready to use, place the container in the microwave for a few seconds so that it is soft enough to use. Assemble the Valentine's Day gourmet dessert ice cream heart: Remove the plastic wrap from the frozen heart shape ice cream cookie cutter, place one on each plate off to the center. Using the squirt bottle with the strawberry coulis sauce, make a design of your choice on the top of each ice cream heart. Dip a small spoon into the chocolate ganache sauce and make small puddles of chocolate ganache around the ice cream hearts. With the reserved 2 teaspoons of vanilla ice cream, carefully place a small dot in the center of each chocolate puddle. Use a toothpick or the tip of a sharp knife; place the tip in the center of the vanilla ice cream dot and draw a line through the vanilla ice cream and the chocolate ganache; this will make it look like little hearts. Add the strawberry fan garnish, a sprig of mint and serve your guests a Valentine's Day gourmet dessert.