Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Strawberry and Basil Goat Cheese Cake by Tyler Florence

Pic from House Beautiful
While perusing one of my favorite sites, House Beautiful, I came upon this little lovey. Ummm...I love strawberries AND basil AND goat cheese AND I love, love, love cheese cake. So I think this pretty much has my name written all over it! But can I just say I would have NEVER thought this up myself?? Strawberries and basil on a cheese cake? Who knew?! Apparently chef Tyler Florence did. I love Tyler Florence as a chef -- I think his recipes are mostly spot on. So when I discovered this lovely recipe a few moments ago I knew I must try this asap!

First of all, I love House Beautiful. It's a fun magazine to peruse for design but they also have great articles to go along with making your home a beautiful home. This recipe is one of them.

Mr. Florence says this about the cheesecake:

 "This is a really special recipe of mine that I've been carrying around for years, and it's without a doubt the best cheesecake I have ever tasted.

The texture is light and refreshing, almost like a crème brûlée. It's fantastic with any fruit, but because strawberries are approaching the peak of their season, we're going to give them their just due. With the sprinkling of basil and goat cheese on top, the combination of flavors is mind-blowing."

Yep. It's a must-try for this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime here is the recipe and the link

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

10 ounces graham crackers
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
1 pint sour cream, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (I use Meyer lemons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Topping
6 ounces fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup sugar Juice of 2 lemons
2 ounces Grand Marnier
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese, frozen

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large pan or kettle, heat 6 cups of water just to boiling and set aside.

3. In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, cinnamon, and melted butter and process until the graham crackers are finely ground and the mixture holds together slightly and is evenly moistened. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the pan to a 1/4-inch thickness. Smooth the crust, using the base of a juice glass. Chill uncovered until ready to use.

4. In a food processor, mix the cream cheese, goat cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice, scraping down the sides as needed until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

5. Place the pan in the center of a large roasting pan. Place the roasting pan on the center rack of the oven. Carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to a depth of 1½ inches around the cheesecake.

6. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be firm on the edges but still jiggle in the center. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes at room temperature. Then chill uncovered until ready to serve.

7. In a large saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and Grand Marnier and cook over a medium heat for five to seven minutes, or until the sugar has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove the strawberries and continue to cook for another three to five minutes, or until the syrup has reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.

8. Spoon the strawberries and syrup liberally over the cheesecake. Serve garnished with the basil leaves and crumbled goat cheese.

If you're interested in House Beautiful -- you can get a great discount on magazines through amazon.com. I've searched online and they have some (if not the only) best deals on magazine subscriptions. Just an added FYI.

If you make the cheese cake -- let me know how it turned out for you. I'll do my best to make it this weekend as well.

Hope you enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. I tried this recipe when I saw it in the magazine because it looked so delicious. Did anyone else notice, however, there was a misprint and sugar was not listed as an ingredient in the cheesecake portion of the recipe? Needless to say, my fort effort was a disaster! As a seasoned cook, I kept thinking something was wrong while assembling the ingredients, but just assumed it was intended to be savory. An expensive typo!

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    Replies
    1. Oh no! So sorry! I see in my recipe above that it calls for a 1 cup of sugar - was that not in the print version? It's so disappointing to spend so much time, money and energy on a recipe only to not have it work out. If you do try it again with the sugar lmk how it works out.

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