This past weekend, I finally came to the realization it would take decades if I made at least one 'new' recipe every day, 365 days a year, from the collection of cookbooks and cooking magazines amassed over the years. In spite of this moment of clarity, throwing away (almost all of) the cooking magazines was more painful than having a root canal. Having purged more than twenty-five years of saved magazines several years ago, one might think this time around it would be easier. It wasn't. Each time I opened a magazine, my eyes got distracted by a recipe I would put in that ambiguous 'your life would not be complete if you did not eat this' category. Had anyone uttered the words 'take a deep breath or let it go' to me, I would have made one of those 'if looks could kill' faces before turning into a three-year old having a full-blown 'you don't understand' tantrum. But at the end of the day more magazines went into the recycling bin than were 'saved' and the world did not come to an end.
Before tossing out a five year old Southern Living magazine, I tore out a recipe for Goat Cheese Cheesecakes with Summer Berries. With the hot, humid weather finally arriving this week here, it was the no-bake filling that caught my attention. And instead of making the cheesecake in jars, I decided to make it as a tart, saving the 'jar' idea for another time.
I have been a little skeptical of 'no-bake' cheesecakes as the ones I have tasted generally didn't have a creamy, satisfying cheesecake texture. Many of the 'no-bake' recipes out there call for the use of beaten egg whites. This one doesn't have any eggs in it. Instead, unflavored gelatin and whipped heavy cream combine to give this cheesecake all of the richness and creaminess one craves and expects in this confection. With the goat cheese and lemon zest adding the perfect amount of tartness to the cheesecake, the berry compote topping elevates it to that dubious 'you have not lived until you have eaten it' place.
Blueberries and blackberries come together to create a delicious compote. In addition to it being the finishing touch to the cheesecake, it would also make for a great topping over vanilla ice cream or even on pancakes or waffles.
The recipe for the graham cracker crust makes a little more than you need for a 10 inch tart. You can save the leftover crumb mixture for another use or make a 12 inch tart (there will be enough of the cream cheese mixture and compote if you make a larger sized tart). Bake the graham cracker crust in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for 12-15 minutes and allow to come to room temperature before spooning in the cheesecake filling.
The cream should be whipped to soft peaks before it's gently folded into the goat/cream cheese mixture. When buying a heavy cream, look for one with a fat content of at least 17%.
After spooning the cheesecake filling into the cooled graham cracker shell, use an offset spatula to smooth the top. At this point, the cheesecake should be covered and placed in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, unmold the cheesecake, place on a platter, and spoon the compote over the top. Sprinkle a handful of fresh berries over the top of the compote. Again, you will have more compote than you need. The remaining compote can either be saved for another use or poured into a bowl to serve along side the cheesecake.
If there was ever a reason to plant edible flowers, finishing cakes and tarts with their blossoms is one of them.
After taking one bite of the Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Berry Compote I felt some sense of vindication for having saved all of those magazines over the years. Had I not gone on a much needed purging expedition, this hidden treasure of a recipe would have probably remained in the stacks of 'haven't seen the light of day in years' magazines. No, I am not going to dwell on wondering what else I may have thrown away (although admittedly that fleeting thought went through my head). I am quite certain there are thousands, hundreds of thousands actually, of recipes sitting in the collection of more than 300 cookbooks (and stack of magazines I saved) just waiting to be 'unearthed'.
Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Berry Compote (slight adaptation of a June 2010 recipe in Southern Living)
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
generous pinch of sea salt
Compote
3 cups blueberries, divided
3/4 cup blackberries
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons fresh squeeze lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon corn starch
Cheesecake
1 envelope (.25 ounces) unflavored gelation (i.e., Knox)
1/3 cup whole milk
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
generous pinch of sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream (with at least 17% fat)
Directions
Crust
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together crushed graham crackers, melted butter, sugar and sea salt until well blended. Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and set aside for another use. Note: If making a 12 inch tart, use all of the graham cracker crumb mixture.
3. Press crumb mixture firmly into 10 inch removable bottom tart pan. Place tart pan on baking sheet.
4. Bake crust for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Allow to cool to room temperature. Set aside.
Compote
1. In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, and water. Stirring often, simmer over medium heat until berries begin to burst.
2. Stir in cornstarch and simmer until sauce becomes thickened.
3. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/2 cup blueberries and blackberries. Allow to cool.
4. Transfer compote mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cheesecake
1. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over milk and let stand one minute.
2. Cook milk mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (approximately 2-4 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, cream together goat cheese and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar, lemon zest and salt.
4. Slowly add milk/gelatin mixture, beating until combined.
5. In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream at high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into cheese mixture.
6. Spread cheesecake mixture onto baked crust. Smooth top. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
7. When ready to serve, spoon berry compote over top of the cheesecake. Sprinkle top with a few additional fresh berries.
Optional: Decorate cheesecake with fresh, edible flowers.
