Goat Cheese Cheesecake

By stancec44

Most people use goat cheese in savory recipes, but I love the tang of it in a cheesecake. By using vanilla sugar as part of the regular sugar, this adds a nice depth to the cheesecake. The Mascarpone also adds additional sweetness. Remember to reserve some of your sugar from the cheesecake to add to your whites.

Ingredients

• Crust:
• One 8 oz. block organic cream cheese
• 6 oz. of Local Goat Cheese - Plain (Mama Terra)
• 1 tub (approx. 8 oz.) Mascarpone Cheese
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup vanilla sugar
• 3 whole large eggs (from our local farmer)
• 1 package Osvego cookies (Italian honey malt cookies) - crushed very fine or crushed Amaretti cookies
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 ounces melted butter (one stick)

Preparation

Step 1

Mix the crushed cookies, sugar and melted butter. Press this into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with removable sides. Place into the freezer until ready to fill.

Mix the cream cheese, mascarpone and goat cheese with the vanilla sugar and ¼ cup of the granulated sugar until very loose and smooth. Add the egg yolks and nutmeg. Blend until incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with the remaining ¼ cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cheesecake batter. Put into the chilled springform.

Bake in a 350F oven for 50-60 minutes. Don't open the door while baking or it will collapse and bake unevenly. This will fall a little after it cools. That is OK. Chill completely. Serve with fresh strawberries macerated in Barrel Aged Balsamic.