Goat Cheese Cake with Berries

One of my greatest pleasures is slowly mulling through my cookbooks and all those stacks of recipes rescued from magazines and newspapers of another time, finding inspiration again and again. Even greater is discovering a previously unknown and absolutely fabulous recipe in my midst. Today's incredible treasure is this Goat Cheese Cake from Emily Luchetti.

Have you ever wanted to eat a piece of cheesecake without feeling like you’ve just eaten a piece of cheesecake? This is your dessert. The recipe calls for goat cheese without the usual addition of cream cheese, so it's quite a different experience. Because goat cheese has a lower fat content and is a pure product without any gums or emulsifiers, it brings an incredible lightness to this beautiful dessert. That lightness is also emphasized by the addition of whipped egg whites gently folded into the batter. The slight tang is balanced by the sugar and rounded out by a bit of lemon juice and zest and the lovely perfume of vanilla. The cake tastes bright, fresh and absolutely delectable. The texture is bolstered by 3 tablespoons of flour that give it just enough body to allow a wonderful comparison to a New York Cheesecake, yet there is no fatty taste or heaviness left behind. I could go on and on. Are you with me?

The preparation is easy and quick and it’s ready in under an hour. Try this for your next dinner party or celebration and you will be amazed by the results. Thank you, Emily Luchetti!



Bench notes:
- Bring the goat cheese or chévre to room temperature to ensure an easy and complete combining of ingredients. Eggs must also be at room temp.
- I served this with blackberries that I sprinkled with sugar, a bit of Crème de Cassis and an equal splash of lemon juice to taste. Really delicious.
- This cake will keep for a few days, but the texture changes dramatically. When eaten fresh, it has a very light and airy texture. After refrigeration, it becomes more dense.
- I used an 8" cake pan because I wanted more height for presentation. It baked in 25 minutes in my hot oven.



Goat Cheese Cake with Berries
adapted from Classic Stars Desserts Emily Luchetti
Serves 8 to 10

Butter and granulated sugar for the cake pan
11 ounces fresh goat cheese @ room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 large eggs @ room temperature, separated
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pint blackberries
sugar, to taste
lemon juice, to taste
Crème de Cassis, to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and dust it thoroughly with granulated sugar. Tap out the excess.

Mix the goat cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the egg yolks two at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the flour and mix until incorporated.

Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and whip to soft peak. Gently fold the egg whites into the goat cheese mixture with a spatula. Be careful not to overmix or you will deflate the batter. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature.

Toss the berries with sugar and lemon juice (and Crème de Cassis, if using), to taste.

Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake and turn out onto a platter. Go ahead and swoon.

Orange Allspice Cake

I absolutely love citrus fruits. In pastries or desserts, a bit of citrus is always a vital element even when it is not the star. Citrus will always perk up flavor but when it’s the central ingredient, it’s nearly irresistible.

Looking to put a large juicy orange to good use, I recalled a cake that someone made for me a couple of years ago. It was a very orangey spicy cake with a tender texture I can still remember. It came from a cookbook by David Lebovitz and was gifted to me by someone who had done some recipe testing for him. So as I was contemplating that orange sitting on my table, I flashed on that cake and decided this is how I would fashion it.

The cake is bursting with the essence of orange flavor and infused with the complexity of allspice. It incorporates a whole orange that has been simmered to remove any bitterness of the pith. It’s not complicated in any way, but requires a little bit of preparation before you set about to mix the cake together. The glaze is easy and adds a nice note of buttery caramel that really dresses it up. If you love orange flavored pastries, you will certainly love this cake.



Bench notes:
- I happened to have one lemon half that had been used for its zest, so I decided to throw that into the simmering water along with the orange and I’m very glad I did. It enhanced the flavor perfectly. The resulting fruit mixture came to 1 C.
- Taste the glaze as you go and add salt until you have the right balance. I love salty caramel, so I went with a few grains more.
- I couldn’t put my hands on some currants easily enough when the mood struck me to make this cake, so I omitted them.



Totally Orange Allspice Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
adapted from Ripe for Dessert by David Leibovitz
serves 8 to 10

1 medium navel orange (about 1/2 lb)
1/2 lemon (optional)
1/4 t salt

1 1/3 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 t ground allspice
4 oz (1 stick) butter @ room temperature
1 1/2 C sugar
2 eggs @ room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C milk
3/4 C currants, tossed in 1 t flour

Glaze
1 oz (2 T) butter
1/3 C firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 T heavy cream
1/8 t salt
1/4 t vanilla extract

Cut the orange in half and place in a saucepan with the salt and enough water to cover (add the lemon half too, if you’re using). Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and continue to cook on a low simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the fruit is limp and easily pierced with a knife. Drain and finely chop in a food processor. Do not puree. The resulting mixture should come to 1 C. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9” x 2” cake pan.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and allspice.
Beat the butter and granulated sugar for approximately 3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Add half the dry ingredients and mix for a few seconds. Add the milk, chopped orange and currants and blend. Add the remaining flour mixture and just as it starts to come together, pull it off the mixer and finish it by hand to prevent over mixing. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until it tests done. Cool for at least 10 minutes before turning out.

To prepare the glaze, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the sugar. Cook without stirring for 2 minutes. Then, stirring constantly, add the cream and salt and continue cooking and for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Cool for just a few minutes to lukewarm. Pour quickly over the center of the cake. Use a small metal spatula or a butter knife to spread the glaze if necessary. Serve with your favorite spot of tea.

Rhubarb Soup

I love dessert soups. They are light, refreshing, simple and pure manifestations of the season’s best fruit. Preparation is always fairly minimal and the rewards are great.

While we’re in the midst of rhubarb season, I thought I’d present a wonderful recipe for Rhubarb Soup from Simply Sensational Desserts by François Payard. I absolutely love Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, but sometimes we are searching for lighter fare on a warm spring night and this is a nice alternative. Rhubarb soup has all of the same bright tart flavors without any other textures or fat content to mediate the purity of the fresh fruit.

This recipe is for rhubarb lovers and those who gravitate toward a nice level of tartness in their desserts. And the gorgeous color is a beautiful way to liven up your table. Take a drink of this incredible soup and you’ll discover a whole new way to enjoy rhubarb.



Bench notes:
- Payard’s recipe calls for Grenadine, which is a very sweet syrup used as a mixer in cocktails. It’s made from a base of corn syrup and, wherever possible, I try to avoid that ingredient. The term Grenadine is derived from grenade, the French word for pomegranate. It’s quite easy to replicate and has a much cleaner and fresher taste. It should be fairly sweet to offset the tartness of the rhubarb, but taste it and adjust as you go along. If you want to make extra, it’s a good addition to lemonade.
- I added just a little splash of lemon to the soup at the end to brighten the flavors. I think it makes a big difference.
- Another nice garnish would be a small scoop of orange sorbet.
- Payard serves this at room temperature, but I prefer it chilled for a really refreshing dessert.


Rhubarb Soup
adapted from Simply Sensational Desserts by François Payard
Serves 8

Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 stalk of lemongrass, chopped coarsely

4 C water
2/3 C sugar
1/3 C Grenadine or pomegranate syrup (see below)
1 lb rhubarb (about 7 stalks), washed, trimmed and sliced
lemon juice, to taste

Strawberries
Mango

Make a flavor sachet by placing the citrus zests and chopped lemongrass on a piece of cheesecloth. Tie together with string.

Bring the water and sugar to a simmer and add the rhubarb. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat and add the flavor sachet and pomegranate syrup. Cover and let steep for 2 hours.

Remove flavor sachet and whisk the soup to break up some of the rhubarb. Add a splash of lemon juice, to taste.

Prepare the fruit garnishes by slicing the strawberries and mango into matchsticks.

To serve, place a heaping tablespoon of sliced strawberries in serving bowls. Ladle the soup into the bowls and garnish with a bit of mango.

Pomegranate Syrup

1 C pomegranate juice
1/2 C sugar, to taste
lemon juice, to taste

Bring 1 C of pomegranate juice to a simmer and reduce by 1/2. Add 1/2 C sugar and simmer until dissolved. Taste to adjust sweetness. It should be fairly sweet to offset the rhubarb, but not super sugary. Take off the heat and add just a splash of lemon juice. Set aside to cool.

Oranges with Rosemary Sabayon

If you’re looking for a whisper-light dessert, this is the one for you. Maybe you’re serving a heavy meal or maybe it’s the last of many courses. Or maybe you’re not partial to rich desserts. Maybe you just want to be reminded of how perfect the simplest expressions of nature can be. Oranges with Rosemary Sabayon is a mere hint of a dessert that is very likely to remind you of a lovely little dinner al fresco on the shores of the Mediterranean.

I love anything with citrus. I also love the scent of rosemary. One of the greatest moments of aromatherapy in a kitchen is savoring the fragrance of rosemary while chopping its sturdy leaves. Just fantastic. So I thought I’d pair the citrus fruit with some silky sabayon that has been infused with this terrific herb. It’s an unusual combination that blossoms into a wonderful complexity using just a few very simple ingredients. Celebrate Spring with this very easy, clean, simple and soft burst of flavor.



Bench notes:
- I’ve written about Sabayon in a previous post. It’s an amazingly easy and lovely dessert sauce.
- I used a Nobilo 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, which was perfect. It has lots of citrus notes to bridge the rosemary, so I recommend you try to find a similar style.
- I tossed in a couple of grapefruit sections for color. Not as perfect a match as the orange, but still good. I also garnished with a tiny bit of minced pistachio.
- The Rosemary Sabayon would also be great with blackberries or figs. Yes, perfect with figs!
- Although you only need 3 T of Rosemary Syrup, the recipe makes over a cup. You can reduce the recipe if you don’t think you’ll use it, but it’s great in oatmeal, as a flavoring for whipped cream or perhaps in a margarita or other cocktail.


Oranges with Rosemary Sabayon
Serves 4

4 navel oranges
4 egg yolks
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C Sauvignon Blanc
3 T rosemary syrup (recipe below)
minced pistachio for garnish (optional)

Slice the peel off of the oranges, being careful to remove all of the bitter white pith. Section out the orange slices and set aside on a paper towel to drain.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, wine and rosemary syrup in a stainless steel bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure that the bowl is not touching the water. Check periodically to see that the water is not boiling. Whisk constantly for 4 to 5 minutes, including the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cook until the mixture is thickened and expanded in volume. If you have a thermometer, you’re shooting for about 160 degrees. Remove from heat and continue whisking for a bit. Set aside to cool.

Plate some orange sections and top with a luscious dollop of the Sabayon. Garnish with just a bit of pistachio if you choose. Serve immediately.

Rosemary Syrup

1 C water
1 C sugar
3 – 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Turn down the heat and add rosemary sprigs. Simmer about a minute or so. Cover and remove from heat and let steep. Taste it periodically to decide on the strength you prefer. I let mine sit for the afternoon.

Strain and store in the refrigerator in a clean, airtight container.

Strawberry Balsamic Sherbet

I spied the season’s first strawberries yesterday and grabbed them. Bright red, plump and calling out to me for immediate purchase, my initial inclination was to make a sorbet. But then I remembered a delicious sherbet I’d had at a friend’s house a few years ago. It was a fresh and bright compilation of fresh strawberries with a splash of really good balsamic vinegar. Very simple and very much in tune with the best of spring’s bounty.

This recipe comes together really fast - no muss, no fuss. The mixture is blended and chilled and then spun in your ice cream maker. Presto! Glace à la fraise, the essence of strawberries.


Bench notes:
- Sherbet is a fruit puree to which a bit of dairy has been added. This is what differentiates it from sorbet, which is basically fruit puree and simple syrup.
- If you happen to have a high quality balsamic vinegar, now is the time to use it.


Strawberry Balsamic Sherbet

1 pound of fresh and fabulous strawberries
3/4 C sugar
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 C heavy cream

Combine fruit and sugar in a food processor or blender. Add balsamic and blend into a puree. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Strain the mixture if seeds bother you. Add cream and freeze in your ice cream maker. Voila!

Pecan Praline Cookies

One of the first things we learned in pastry school was how to make praline powder. The praliné of my early lesson is quite different from the very sweet southern candies called pralines. Praline powder is a classical pastry element that is made by caramelizing nuts and grinding them in a food processor. It is used to flavor various creams, fillings and finishings.

I’m using praline powder today to add additional crunch and flavor to a pecan butter cookie made with brown sugar. The caramel builds on the brown sugar taste and the toasted almonds add another source of texture. If you’re in the market for a buttery, nutty, crunchy cookie with a hint of caramel, this is the one.


Bench notes:
- Praline can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks. You can use it to flavor hot oatmeal or fold into homemade ice cream.
- To toast pecans, place on a baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overdo it or they will taste bitter. They will not look much different but will give off a lovely toasty fragrance.
- Be sure that cookie dough is well chilled before baking so that the cookies hold their shape. You can also roll this into a log and slice and bake.
- Yes, you can dip in chocolate if you must!


Almond Praline

1 C sugar
water to cover
1 C whole almonds

Place sugar in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover it. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring until the caramel reaches the color of light honey. If it begins to only darken in spots, swirl the pan gently to distribute the color.

Turn the heat down to low and add the almonds. Cook for a few minutes, gently stirring with a wooden spoon to be sure the almonds are coated and the mixture is cooking evenly. Be careful not to stir too much or it may crystallize.

When the nuts are toasted and the caramel is a darker honey color, pour out onto a baking sheet pan that is lightly oiled or lined with a silpat. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to cool and harden. Break into pieces and grind to a coarse powder.


Pecan Praline Cookies
Makes 3 dozen cookies

1 C toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
8 oz (2 sticks) butter @ room temp
2/3 C light brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 T rum or brandy
2 C flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 C almond praline powder

Beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add vanilla and rum or brandy.

Combine flour and salt and add to the butter and sugar mixture until it's just beginning to blend. Add pecans and praline powder and mix for a minute. Work the dough with your hands to finish the mixing.

Divide the cookie dough into two pieces and place each on a piece of plastic wrap. Top with another piece of plastic wrap and roll the dough out to 1/4” thickness. Chill until firm or overnight.

Cut out cookies with a 2” cookie cutter. Place on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake @ 350 degrees for 13 minutes.

Cool cookies completely before removing from the pan. They will keep in an airtight container for several days. As if.