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. 
I’m guessing you’ve tried Manchego? It’s my favorite sheep’s milk cheese.
I’m lactose intolerant too, and cheese is what I miss most. I’m curious about the goat cheese and sheep’s milk cheese; according to what I’ve read, goats’ milk and sheep’s milk have almost the same amount of lactose as cows’ milk. How is it that the cheese doesn’t have lactose? I’d be interested in any resources you could pass on because I’d love to be able to eat some cheese again!
I’m lactose-tolerant, but according to a Good Eats episode on cheese, most of the lactose is removed during the cheese making process, so that’s why most lactose-intolerant people can eat it. My g/f is Asian and very lactose-intolerant, but she can eat cheese with no problem. Ice cream (which she will eat when she gets the craving) does her no good at all, but cheese is usually fine.
That’s interesting. I know lactose intolerance is different for each person. Unfortunately for me, eating cheese (and ice cream) is like a death-wish, but I have read that cheese that’s made traditionally, aged 2 yrs., has nearly no lactose in it. That’s hard to find though. I haven’t heard that goat cheese and sheep cheese have less lactose. But perhaps most goat and sheep cheese are aged?
I actually have the GE episode on my TiVo (Cheese: Good Milk Gone Bad) and he says that cheeses that have a little age on them have had their lactose consumed by the bacteria so there’s little if any lactose left. I just replayed that portion for the exactish quote.
I think goat/sheep cheese is similar to cow in that it can be fresh or aged. I think Manchego has fresh and aged varieties. If you have a good cheese source nearby, you should be able to find well-aged (2+ years) varieties of cheddar at the very least. A Canadian, English, Irish, or Austrailian. All are very good.
I truly feel sorry for you, as I love a nice extra sharp cheddar, Parma Reggiano, etc.
And really, it’s not my intention to torture you. 🙂
Thanks for looking that up for me! I’ll have to test the waters the next time I’m feeling brave…:) I would LOVE it if I could eat some cheese again!
The only reason I eat goat and sheep milk cheese is because when my doctor told me I was LI, she said I could eat those. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I am very sensative to all cow dairy, but haven’t ever had problems with the goat or sheep cheese…
I haven’t tried Machego… I’ll have to look for it.
I first had Manchego at a tapas place near Phoenix on a cheese and fruit plate. I had no idea what I was missing. 🙂
oh my gosh! a fellow cheese junkie! haha
So I’ve been lactose intolerant since I went away to college… but I still enjoy most of my favorites. Lactaid works wonders!!! I carry the pills around with me all the time and enjoy most of the foods I love. Regarding the different milks, goats milk does indeed have lactose, it is just less than traditional cows milk so more people can tolerate it. I’m sure different processes in which you make cheese, etc could effect it, and everyone’s sensitivity is different as well. I adjusted quickly to Lactaid milk, and they have cottage cheese, ice cream (but i stick to the good ol’ stuff), and some other products I have yet to try. I urge fellow LI folks not to give up your (and my!!) favorite foods!!!
I found this website of sheeps cheese and it appears it is good for people with LI.
http://www.sheepscheese.com/
Yep! Sheep cheese is my friend for sure.
I am severely lactose intolerant but love food and cooking, so this has been a difficult adjustment for me as well. Parmigiana Reggiano is lactose free as well as; Grana Padano, all Finlandia cheeses including Muenster and Lappi. I use Lappi as a substitute for Mozzarella as it has similar texture and flavour. Muenster has worked well as a substitute for many cheeses as it has great flavour. There are some cheeses that I cannot tolerate such as mozzarella. Goat cheese does have lactose, but also has a protein in it that is different from that in cow’s milk. This makes it much more easily digestible and is great for those with lactose intolerance. Hope this is helpful! p.s. – I make my own ice cream by making creme anglaise with lactose free 2% milk.