FFwD – Tourteau de Chèvre

Hm.

It doesn’t look like I think it’s supposed to look.

For French Fridays with Dorie this week we were to make a Tourteau de chèvre. 

Now, despite what you might think, that doesn’t mean Cake of Goat.  I don’t think anyone’s invented that one.  Maybe a Pie of Goat – you know, like a chicken pot pie, or a shepherd’s pie – exists somewhere…but not Cake of Goat.

No, the cake is made with, among other things, goat cheese.  Pretty interesting, huh?

And a bit more appetizing than a cake made of goat.

Anyway, Dorie describes the cake this way:

This creation is so unlike what we know as cheesecake in America that I hesitate to use the name for fear of misleading you.  Unlike just about everything in the American cheesecake family, the tourteau is not soft, creamy, moist, or even rich.  Instead, it’s a fairly dry cake (it’s most like a sponge cake) that you cut into wedges and eat out of hand.

Hm.

Again, that doesn’t seem to describe my tourteau de chèvre at all.

So let’s see what I did.

First – I went to the store to get the goat cheese – the only ingredient I didn’t have at home.  Now, I think this is part of the reason the cake didn’t turn out right.

I got to the cheese section at Stop & Shop and looked at the selection of chèvres available.  There were two different brands of big enough logs (I needed nine ounces) and a bunch of smaller ones.  But – as the hyper aware, born again crazy shopper that I am now, I wanted – if possible – to buy something made locally.  Like, not in California or something. 

We actually do have one certified dairy goat farm in Rhode Island.  I remember them coming to the farmers market last summer, offering samples of their goat cheese and goat cheese spreads. 

I was hoping to buy a log of chèvre from them, but didn’t see any.

And then – off to the right a bit – I saw their label!  Little tubs of their goat cheese spreads, including little tubs that said “plain,” too!

Yay!

Local!

So I bought two 7 ounce tubs – it’s never a bad thing to have some leftover cheese, right?

And I skipped home happily.

Okay, I drove.

But the thing is…

It looks more like a ricotta than the chèvre I was looking for.  My fault for not looking a bit more closely at what was inside the containers.

The other thing…I tasted some – I love goat cheese – and…it doesn’t really taste all that goaty.  And this is, apparently, a selling point for them.  Some people don’t like the distinctive taste of goats milk cheeses. 

But I do.  And I was a little disappointed that this didn’t taste at all goat cheesy.

And I should have realized what the texture would be when I looked at the ingredients – goat milk, vinegar, and salt.  Yep.  That’ll give you a ricotta.  Or, at least, a ricotta texture.

Now, my next stupid move was NOT to drain the cheese for a few hours (as Dorie wisely recommended for very fresh cheeses).  I drained it for a little while, but nothing like a couple hours.

Ah well.

Here’s what I DID do.

I made the crust – here’s the only picture I took from that part of the job:

That’s the egg yolk before it got pulsed into the flour/sugar/salt/butter mixture.

I made the crust, shaped it into a flat ball and stuck it in the fridge. 

Did a bunch of other things…and then it was time to make the filling.  Here are the ingredients.

I rolled out the dough and pressed it into the springform pan.  In retrospect I should have done this right away when I made the dough, so it would have had more time to chill before baking.

Time to whip the egg whites…pretty, aren’t they?  I love the look of meringue.

It’s fun to play with. 

Look!  Stalactite and stalagmite!

Now, time to beat together yolks, goat cheese, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch.

Here’s how that looked.  Not as smooth and creamy as I think it should have looked.  I’m assuming there was still too much liquid in the cheese.

Next up – folding the whites into the yolk/cheese mixture.

Did I not incorporate everything properly?  Not sure.

Into the pan, and into the oven.

Annnnnnnnnnnd – out of the oven.

Hm.  It didn’t puff up much, did it?

It looks pretty, but not like the picture in the book.

Pretty color, at least.

But it isn’t correct.

You can see a sort of smooth, custardy layer right above the crust.  It’s kind of eggy in texture.  And the upper cakey part?  Pretty moist.

But.

It tastes really, really good.  Both kids and my husband liked it, too. 

So I’ll call it a success.

To see how successful other bakers were, hop on over to the French Fridays list of links and check ‘em out! 

Comments

[Maya]

What's most important is that your family likes the cake! I don't know how you achieved it, but I quite like the layered look of your tourteau ;-).

[Liz]

YES! I'd call that a success! I enjoyed your post...laughing that you're a "hyper-aware, born again crazy shopper." Great description :)

[Cher]

I wish real stalactite & stalagmites were made out of whipped egg whites - it might convince me to go spelunking... I'm with Maya - the layered look is kind of cool.

[K]

I think it's definitely a success! I wish my cake had done the layered look :) I'm sure it was delicious.

[Eileen]

That's interesting to see how the different style of goat cheese impacted the outcome. I, too, like the layered look!

[Pamela M]

Looks tasty!

By the way, fyi, the "View article..." link in the email I got from your RSS feed is incorrect. It is
"http://www.barefootkitchenwitch.com/the_barefoot_kitchen_witc/2011/04/ffwd-tourteau-de-chvre.html" instead of
"http://www.barefootkitchenwitch.com/the_barefoot_kitchen_witc/2011/05/ffwd-tourteau-de-chvre.html". Basically, the month is showing up as April instead of May.

[DessertByCandy]

Everyone enjoyed it and that's what counts!

[Jayne]

Thats probably because I originally posted this (in error) in April, pulled it once I realized my mistake, and then just republished it this morning.

[Betsy]

I think your cake looks good. Glad you and your family enjoyed it. Great step-by-step photos!
It's hard for me not to love goat cheese in any form though. My standby goat cheese is from Vermont Butter & Cheese. Being in MA, I rationalize that it's local. Can't wait for the summer farmers markets though to get real local stuff.

[judith]

I think it's VERY pretty. I bet is yummy.

[tricia]

Lovely post - and I think it looks amazing. I love how you bought local goat cheese- now I feel ashamed that I ran to Costco :) I enjoyed reading all about the local cheese. Interesting that non-goat tasting goat cheese seem to have a following, I had not realized how many folks don't care for goat cheese till I read this week's posts. Nana and I LOVE goat cheese, so of course we were delighted with this week's recipe. And your photos are really great - well done !

[Chefpandita]

I think the layers look great :)

[Pudding Pie Lane]

I'd eat this, I love trying anything new, and goat cheese in cake is new to me... even if if isn't that goaty. Maybe you could make an fondant goat and stick it on top, and then might psychologically make people think it tastes more goaty than it is :) I like your cave terminology with the meringue!

[Sis Boom]

A success by any measure I would say. Great job. I nearly missed this week but so happy I got it done as this is one I will make again and again.