Friday, March 10, 2006

SHF #17: Goat Cheese and Lemon Cheesecake


From the 405 to the 710 to the 5--all the way home from Laguna Beach, all I could think about was my cheesecake, sitting patiently in my fridge. 10 p.m. on the dot, I open my front door, zoom straight to the fridge, and pull 'er out. No cracks, perfectly browned crust, she still looks as good as she did when I carefully placed her on the shelf the night before. A few minutes later, slice on plate, fork in mouth--yum.


I can't truly trace the genisis of the goat cheese idea. On my way to the market, as I ruminated on the dairy theme for this month's Sugar High Friday, it seemed to pop in my head out of nowhere. I picked up what I thought I might need, and went home to scour the internet and my cookbooks for recipes. I found precious little in the sweet category, except for an Emeril Legasse version featuring too much sugar for my tastes, Grand Marnier (blech), and a lot of sour cream (double blech). So I struck out on my own, with a bit of guidance from Joy of Cooking, which gives dire warnings of the dangers of omitting a waterbath for the cake. I threw caution to the wind, baked her in the springform pan alone, and was quite pleased with the results.

Goat Cheese and Lemon Cheesecake

or

Lemon and Goat Cheesecake

or

Goat and Lemon Cheesecake (well, maybe not)

1 c. ground walnuts
4 tbsp. melted butter
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
12 oz. goat cheese, room temperature
1 c. sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
zest and juice of 1-2 lemons
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Mix ground walnuts and butter in a medium bowl. Press mixture into the bottom of your favorite springform pan, which you have already buttered/greased. Put crusty pan in fridge until you need it later. Once you are sure your cream cheese is soft enough, toss it in your stand mixer or a big ol' bowl and mix on medium speed until smooth. Mix in yer goat cheese until blended, then add and blend in sugar. One at a time, add your eggs. Toss the zest, lemon juice and vanilla in, mix a bit more until incorporated. Pour mixture into crust-lined pan, and bake for approx. 55 minutes, until sides are set and middle's just a tiny bit jiggly. Cool completely on a rack, then force yourself to be patient and put it in the fridge for 24 hours. It's worth the wait.

Note: Most every recipe I looked at included about 1/2 c. of cream as well. I didn't have any, so I didn't use any, and I liked the consistency of my cheesecake just fine. If you're a supersmooth kinda person, you many want to add it.

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Erin's Kitchen Recipe Index: Cookies, Cakes, Breads and Other Treats

8 comments:

Cate said...

Would never think to put those two flavors together for a cheesecake, but it looks divine.

Erin S. said...

You know, now that I really think--I imagine the inspiration may have been the goat cheese ice cream I ate a few months back. I really like the tanginess of the cheese and the way it cuts the sweetness.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a delicious combination of flavours!

Christine said...

Mine ALWAYS crack. How do you do it?

Jocelyn:McAuliflower said...

yum- goat cheese ice cream sounds amazing too!

Anonymous said...

Just to let everyone know I tried this- my husband brought me home a piece when Erin brought it to the office - and I have been wanting the recipe ever since. I think it is a triumph! Go Erin!
I made a quick pan sauce of fresh blueberries with some lemon juice and sugar and it was a delicious complement....but it was just as fab on its own.

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