goat cheese cake

This is a simple (only 4 ingredients plus berries!) yet elegant alternative to cheesecake that we make every now and then but somehow never got around to recording for posterity here in our food diary. Calling it a "gateau au fromage de chevre" reveals its French origins, and it came to us from a thin but nicely photographed French Bistro cookbook that offered up a total of 3 other terrific recipes that we make regularly over the years: cream of artichoke soup (crème d'artichauts), chestnut and celery soup (crème de marrons aux celeris), and french apple tart (tarte aux pommes). If we had any time to devote to our cookbooks, we would probably find other jewels here, but as the clock runs down on our lives, the available time seems to diminish steadily.

ani discovered this recipe and has returned to it repeatedly over the years. Not a dessert person, this is in fact not very sweet yet still qualifies as a dessert, which explains her loyalty to the dish. bob is a dessert person, but likes this end of the dessert spectrum too. Let's say this has broad appeal. Maybe you too could become a fan.

ingredients

4 eggs, separated
5.5 oz (170g) fresh goat cheese
3 T sugar
1/2 c (4 fl oz = 125ml) crème fraiche
1/2 c (2oz = 60g) fresh raspberries

instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C).
  2. Butter an 8 in diameter cake pan or glass baking dish and line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour both the paper and sides of the pan or dish.
  3. Beat the egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff but moist peaks form.
  4. Combine the goat cheese and sugar in a second bowl with a whisk until well blended.
  5. Add the egg yolks one at a time beating well after each addition until smooth and creamy.
  6. Carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture with a spatula without over mixing.
  7. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake about 25 minutes until the cake is golden, puffed and firm to the touch.
  8. Cool on a rack in the pan about 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack, lift off the pan and peel off the paper.
  9. Transfer to a serving plate and let cool completely.
  10. To serve, spread the crème fraiche evenly over the top, carefully avoiding the edge to leave a golden ring around the edge, then top with berries.

notes

  1. Bistro, The Best of Casual French Cooking, by Gerald Hirigoyen, 1995. The original recipe called for an equal amount of fresh blackberries, but these are not very available and even if they were, they have seeds that get caught in bob's teeth. Vetoed.
  2. Illustrations available.
gotchck.htm: 13-nov-2008 [what, ME cook? © 1984 dr bob enterprises]