Chocolate Goat Cheese Mousse Tart
This week has been crazy busy. Between my baby sister graduating high school and my blog going down for the day yesterday, add on top of that our normal work load and being out of town last weekend and next weekend, I’m ready for a break. Luckily, this weekend our trip is to visit friends and spend time on the lake. It’s exactly what I need at this point.
Early June is one of my favorite times of the year for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s my birthday month. Yes, I’m one of those obnoxious people who expect you to care that one day out of the entire month is my birthday. Lucky for me, Hubby humors me and lets me talk about my birthday month like it’s completely normal. What would I do without him?
Second, it’s strawberry season. I *wish* I could live in a part of the world where strawberry season lasted months. But around these parts, it’s only a few precious weeks in June. Hubby and I haven’t found anywhere to strawberry pick yet this year (recommendations anyone?), but I’ve been enjoying the strawberries that come in our CSA box every week.
The majority of our strawberries are being eaten straight up. The other night we threw some angel food cake on the grill and topped it with strawberries. It was amazing.
And, of course, I always bake with strawberries during strawberry season. I have posted quite a few strawberry recipes in the past 5+ years. This chocolate goat cheese mousse tart might be one of my favorites of all time.
It starts with a chocolate graham cracker crust. Next up comes a silky chocolate mousse. The original recipe used all cream cheese, but I threw in half goat cheese, half cream cheese. I know strawberries and goat cheese pair together nicely and who doesn’t love a little tanginess in their dessert? Last, but definitely not least, fresh strawberries top off this dessert. It’s seriously a winner and I think you should make it this summer.
Two Years Ago: Challah Bread and Freezable Lemon Bars
Three Years Ago: Strawberry and Spinach Salad and Strawberry and Blueberry Jam
Four Years Ago: It’s an Appliance Party! and Turkey Chili
Five Years Ago: Deceptively Delicious Brownies
Chocolate Goat Cheese Mousse Tart
Goat cheese provides a great tanginess that compliments the chocolate and strawberries. If you don't like goat cheese, just use 8 oz of cream cheese and eliminate the goat cheese.
Yield: Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
For the Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
For the Filling
1 cup whipping cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz goat cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
200 gram dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
10 fresh strawberries, halved
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat over to 350F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish.
To prepare crust, mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and cocoa powder in a small bowl, and mix until a moist yet crumbly mixture forms.
Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie dish.
Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare filling, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream until it holds firm peaks. Remove cream from bowl and keep cold in fridge.
In the same bowl, use a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and goat cheese until it’s soft and creamy.
Add sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate, continue beating until combined.
Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten the mixture, then add the remaining cream and continue folding until incorporated.
Pour the cream mixture in the cooled crust. Smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange strawberries on top of the pie.
Refrigerate the pie until set, about 3 hours, or preferably overnight.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the pie before serving.
Recipe adapted from Oh Sweet Day
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Aren’t they the best? They’re so addicting. I’ve actually starting using the same ingredients, but mixing them like a more traditional chocolate chip cookie (i.e., softened butter instead of melted), because I like the dough better with softened butter. The baked cookies were just as good. Best of both worlds!
These look gorgeous. Don’t you just love AB??? 🙂
The cookies look great. I love AB too..he’s such a dork (in a good way).
I love the ATK/CI Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I will have to try these to see what I think. I remember seeing that the recipes looked similar so I am sure I will love them.
Another AB lover here. My husband gives me a hard time about my DVR list with him but loves it when I give him a fun tidbit or cook him something from AB.
I completely agree CoCo. Hubby does the same thing. I sometimes even watch episodes I’ve seen before! Hubby doesn’t like to admit it, but he loves AB too. Sometimes he’ll be the one saying “AB says to do this…”
They look SO good!! I am a sucker for a chewy chocolate chip cookie. Although, I must side with your hubby – I prefer mine with just a bit of chocolate.
How much is a stick of butter? I’m not in the US and have never come across this measurement before.
Sorry about that Naomi – 1 stick of butter = 8 Tbsp. Does that help?
this is very similar to the ccc recipe i use, but anything that makes it chewier is good in my books! i will have to keep this one in mind 🙂
Yes Jen, thank you!
Yum! I will definitely be trying these. I always chill my cookie dough too usually because I’m too busy with 3 little ones but I also read that article in the NY times awhile ago and I felt like I deserved a nice big pat on the back for always doing the 24hour chill 🙂 Great post and beautiful cookies!
I love Alton Brown because of his scientific approach to cooking and baking. I’ve been baking “The Chewy” for years. One thing I do differently: Before chilling the dough, I scoop it into balls. This makes the process much easier. Sometimes I freeze the balls for baking later. After I place the balls on parchment, I carefully place a few extra chocolate morsels on top, pointy side up. This extra step produces picture-perfect cookies every time.
The Chewy is my go to recipe for cookies. I make a few alterations, occasionally, such as substituting 1/4 of the brown sugar with dark brown sugar. I bake small portions in mini muffin tins; one batch makes 48 cookie bites that are super chewy and the perfect size bite. I’ve made them every year for Christmas gifts for a few years now.