Chèvre, you ask? Goat! Yep, a goat-cheesecake. I’ve been wanting to make a cheesecake incorporating goat cheese for a really long time… ever since the first time I had one at Basho at home in Newfoundland. And now that we’re living in Paris and have access to the most amazing selection of goat cheeses, it was definitely time to make it happen. Here’s my recipe!

INGREDIENTS

for the crust;
10 – 12 graham crackers
30 g sugar
35 g melted butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

for the filling;
300 g cream cheese
150 g soft goat cheese
65 g sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons meringue powder
1 packet of powdered gelatin
3 tablespoons boiling water

for the topping;
100 mL crème fraîche

DIRECTIONS

For the crust;
Use a food processor (or mortar and pestle if you don’t have one!) to turn your graham crackers into fine crumbs. In a small bowl, stir together the crumbs, 30 grams of sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the mixture to a 6″ springform pan, and press into the bottom of the pan. Place in the fridge while you make the filling.

For the filling;
Place the cream cheese, goat cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and meringue powder into your blender, and blend on high speed until smooth and very liquid.

In a small dish, combine the packet of gelatin and the boiling water, and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour the gelatin into the blender, and blend again to incorporate.

Place the filling mixture into a bowl, and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes, just to thicken slightly. Then, use a whisk to stir the mixture, and pour it onto the crust. Refrigerate until set; about three hours.

For the topping;
Stir the crème fraîche to ensure that it’s nice and smooth. Spread over the cheesecake while it’s still in the pan. Return to the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.

Run a hot knife along the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. Remove the side-portion of the springform pan, and slice away! Great on it’s own, or with fruit topping.

PS: click here for the printable version of this recipe!