Chèvre Blondies
I told you we're nuts for all things goat. (Wait until you see the post planned for early next week!) I don't know if we're moving public opinion, but I do know that we've got some terrific restaurant events planned in the near future--a goat dinner in Philadelphia, one in Boston. I can't wait!
Before all that, I thought I'd share this gorgeous snack/dessert with you. It's from, yep, the goat book. (Got your copy yet? Click here.) This recipe is a great chance to get all goaty and still come out with, well, a blondie.
A decidedly American treat, blondies may have been the original brownie--although the exact details of culinary history are pretty smeared. Still, it's thought that this delicate cake with chocolate chips may have been the precursor to its more chocolaty cohort. (There's already a chocolate chèvre brownie on this blog, a recipe so fine that it was picked up by Fine Cooking as a found favorite. Check it out here.)
I'd like to give you some tips about baking, so let's just get right to it.
First, set the rack in the center of the oven and fire the oven up to 350F (175C). Put a little butter on a wadded-up piece of paper towel or wax paper and grease the inside of a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) metal or ceramic baking pan. Add a bit of flour and knock it around the inside of the pan until you've coated the whole thing. Shake out any excess in the sink. (And if you see dry spots lacking butter to hold the flour, grease these up and repeat the flour trick.)
Next, whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl: 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Now it's your mixer's turn. Beat 8 ounces chilled (225 grams) fresh chèvre or soft goat cheese, 8 tablespoons (120 grams) chilled unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, and 1 cup (180 grams) packed dark brown sugar (or muscovado sugar--find out more here) in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light, even fluffy, about 6 minutes, maybe more.
Seriously. Six minutes, maybe more. I left the mixer going and went upstairs and put the wash in the dryer. Came back downstairs, scraped down the inside of the bowl, and went outside to water the tomato plants.
At the end, the mixture looks slightly "broken," as in that picture, with little grains throughout, not of sugar, but of the sugar liquefying and reforming other combinations. You want air. Lots of air.
Plus, we start with chilled chèvre and butter, just a few minutes out of the fridge. Why? Because you want to beat in air--and the fat has to be solid enough to trap it.
After that, beat in 2 large eggs one at a time, then beat in 1 large egg yolk and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract.
Scrape down and remove the beaters. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, just until it begins to disappear and get evenly distributed in the batter.
Note this picture. We don't want to stretch the wheat glutens in any way. So just as the flour starts to get mixed throughout but is still somewhat visible, fold in 1 1/2 cups (340 grams) dark chocolate chips. I used 66% cocoa chips. You could even go a little darker.
Scrape and spread the batter into the prepared pan. It's sticky, so you might want to dollop it all around the pan, then gently press it into place with washed fingers. Don't press out that air!
Bake until lightly browned, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake some out with a few moist crumbs, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the baking dish on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting into squares--which can be saved a couple days in a sealed container at room temperature or frozen between sheets of wax paper in a sealed container for several months.
It's full of goaty goodness--these wonderful little savory, salty, umami notes in the otherwise tender, sweet cake. Don't miss out!
Mark Scarbrough | Posted on Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 10:27AM | in Cake, Chocolate, Desserts, Fabulously Empty Calories
Reader Comments (7)
Interesting idea, so basically sub out half the butter for goat cheese? Not too "goaty"? I'm game, I bet they're insanely rich. Last I checked, that's exactly what a blondie ought to be...both Miss Harry and the dessert bar.
Ivy: I can tell you they are divine. A brilliant balance of savory/sweet/salty/sour.
M.
I predict you will get a lot of push-back on this idea. But I for one know they are going to be great. I have made a goat cheese cake before (with a little extra salt in the slightly savory crust). It was just as your describe here: "savory/sweet/salty/sour." I am going to make this and post these on my site very soon. Sometimes you look at a recipe and just know it was intended for you. Well this recipe is like that. I just know you intended it for me. Thanks GREG
Greg: Well, we got strong push-back today in the Wall Street Journal, if that matters. Appears the editor doesn't really think goat's worth taking on. Ah, well. I hope you love these blondies.
M.
did you say Boston dinner? More info please!!!
Interesting! Between my daughter who decided she wants to raise goats in the mountains in Lebanon and your posts, we will have plenty to make once we get the goats milked!
@Holly: I believe there's going to be an all-goat dinner planned at Rialto restaurant in Boston in September. Dates are just now getting worked out. I'll let you know more when I know more!
M.