This recipe is based on the popular little free-form cheesecakes found in Santorini called melitinia. This version is more along the lines of a regular cheesecake, but with the addition of goat's curd. The base is made with a pastry similar to that used for kourabiedes, the famous Greek almond shortbread. A drizzle of honey is essential, so use a good, flavourful Greek honey such as Attiki.
Goat’s cheese cake with figs and honey
Australian Gourmet Traveller Greek dessert recipe for goat’s cheese cake with figs and honey.
- 20 mins preparation
- 1 hr 20 mins cooking plus resting, cooling
- Serves 10
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Ingredients
- 500 gm cream cheese, at room temperature
- 250 gm goat’s curd, at room temperature
- 75 gm softened butter
- 4 eggs
- 110 gm (½ cup) raw caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, finely grated rind only
- 6 black figs, cut into wedges
- To serve: honey and chopped pistachios
Almond pastry
- 240 gm plain flour
- 200 gm butter, coarsely chopped
- 80 gm ground almonds
- 40 gm (¼ cup) pure icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
Method
Main
- 1For almond pastry, process flour, butter, almonds and icing sugar until fine crumbs form, add yolk and 20ml cold water and pulse to just bring dough together. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly until dough comes together, press into the base of a 23cm-diameter springform pan lined with baking paper and refrigerate until rested and firm (2 hours).
- 2Preheat oven to 175C. Bake base until light golden and cooked through (30-40 minutes).
- 3Meanwhile, beat cheeses, butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla and rind in an electric mixer until combined and smooth. Pour over pastry and bake until set (30-40 minutes), cool to room temperature (2 hours), then top with figs and pistachios and serve drizzled with honey. Cake is best made on day of serving.
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