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Chèvre Cheesecake with Cardamom Shortbread and Butterscotch Sauce

Prep Time:  40 minutes

     Cook Time:  1 hours 40 minutes (with 8 hours of chilling time)

     Serves:  12

One of the most beloved ingredients in the L’Etoile kitchen is goat cheese from Dreamfarm in Cross Plains. The restaurant purchases large quantities in the spring when it is first made and freezes it to incorporate it into many different dishes all year long. When pastry chef Kristine first put a version of this cheesecake on the dessert menu, she loved how it highlighted the beautiful chèvre and how the slightly savory nature of it is complimented by the sweetness of the butterscotch.

Ingredients

  • *For the Cardamom Shortbread Crust:
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 cup cold, cubed butter, plus more for the pan
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons milk
  • *If you prefer thicker crust, double this recipe
  • For the Chèvre Cheesecake Filling:
  • 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
  • 12 ounces fresh goat cheese (chèvre), room temperature
  • ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 whole large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • For the Butterscotch Sauce:
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. To make the crust, place the flour, sugar, salt and cardamom in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cold, cubed butter and mix with a paddle attachment on low until it has a sandy texture. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time and mix on medium speed until the dough starts sticking to itself when you squeeze a handful together.
  3. Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan with butter, press in a circle of parchment paper, and grease the parchment. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan, keeping it flat along the edge. Use the bottom of a juice glass to help keep the edge sharp.
  4. Bake the crust until golden brown, about 30 minutes. When the crust is done baking, remove it from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
  5. While the crust is baking, make the chèvre cheesecake filling. Using the paddle attachment on the stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, chèvre and sugar. Mix on medium-high to fully combine, scraping down the sides a few times, until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, yolk and salt and mix again on medium until fully combined. Finally, add the cream and mix again until smooth.
  6. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the crust and smooth it with a spatula. If using a springform pan, wrap some aluminum foil around the bottom so water doesn’t leak in. Place the cheesecake onto a half sheet pan, and put it on the middle rack in the oven. Before closing the oven door, pour hot water into the sheet pan to fill it about halfway, surrounding the cheesecake pan. Bake the cheesecake until moving it slightly produces a cohesive jiggle, but before it turns golden (internal temperature 150°F), about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Chill 8 hours or overnight.
  7. To make the butterscotch sauce, place the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Stir until the butter is melted, then let the mixture come to a boil for a minute or two. The mixture will bubble and rise up the sides of the pan when it is ready. Cool at room temperature.
  8. To serve, slide a paring knife or offset spatula around the cheesecake and invert the cheesecake out of the pan onto a cutting board (it will now be upside down). Flip the cheesecake again onto a plate or other serving dish by holding the plate against the crust with one hand, the cutting board with the other and turning upside down. If you used a springform pan, you can just release the pan to remove the cheesecake. Cut the cheesecake into slices and serve with a drizzle of butterscotch sauce.

Notes