Sweet spring berries. . .
. . . meet spicy ginger and tangy chèvre. . .
. . . to make. . .
. . . one. . .
. . . delicious. . .
. . . tart.
This lovely spring treat is sweetened with honey and rich enough to provide a worthy and decadent base for the fresh seasonal berries of your choice. With half the filling of a standard cheesecake, the tart will satisfy your cravings without leaving you feeling overdone. It's the Goldilocks of cheesecakes.
So. Very. Good.
Chèvre Tart
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups crushed ginger snaps (store bought or from this recipe here)
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Filling:
- 8oz mild chèvre room temperature
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche or full fat sour cream room temperature*
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- zest of one lemon
*I've also tried this with nonfat plain yogurt in place of the crème fraîche and it is still quite good, but the texture won't be quite as decadently creamy.
Topping:
- Fresh fruit of your choice
- Confectioners sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350.
Crush your gingersnaps in a food processor or with a rolling pin until you have uniform sand-like consistency. Add the melted butter. The consistency should be like that of wet sand and should hold together when pressed with your hands. If it does not, add a bit of water until it does.
Press the cookie crumbs into a spring form pan to create the bottom and sides of the crust. The sides should be about 3/4" tall. Bake the crust for 10 minutes or until it becomes fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Raise the oven temperature to 450.
While the crust is cooling, mix the goat cheese, crème fraîche and honey together until smooth. Add one of the eggs and mix well before adding the other.
Dissolve the cornstarch into the milk and add it to the mixture along with the remaining ingredients for the filling.
Wrap the bottom of the spring form pan in tinfoil to help keep the water out. Pour the filling into the crust and set the pan in a water bath that is about 1" deep.
Bake for 10 minutes at 450 and then lower the heat to 350. Bake for an additional 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the tart to cool a bit on the counter before transferring it to the fridge. Cool completely (at least an hour).
Right before serving top with your favorite fresh fruit and dust with confectioners sugar.
Happy baking!
~ Sarah
*Last time in Recipes: 10 Spring Garden Recipes
