There is something so decadent and luscious about eating fresh figs and cheese on any occasion. Any time I eat this combo I always feel like Im getting pampered at a spa or on a romantic vacation. Believe it or not, I used to be a person that thought I hated figs until we visited Barcelona, Spain in the fall season of 2013. If you have visited Barcelona you know all the wonders it has to offer from amazing food, narrow cobblestone streets and rich cultures. It was a wonderful adventure that we shared and Spanish cuisine will always be one of my favorites. Since we are both Tauruses and one of our main life focuses is food, something very exciting for us was noticing that we could get one of our favorite goat cheeses “Bucheron” for 2 euro which was a freaking delight! One of the days we were in town, Nick went out to pick up groceries at the amazing Boqueria Market to buy delicious fresh produce, cheese and meats/fish. If you are planning on visiting Barcelona, we really recommend visiting this market, it is an experience. When he arrived back we immediately opened up a nice Spanish Tempranillo and started assembling a cheese plate, because cheese plates are our happy place. He brought out fresh figs he had bought and feeling dubious but always intrigued by novel food, I grabbed a slice of fig with some Bucheron and stuffed it all in my mouth. That blend of flavors forever changed my life and after that I have converted to being a fig lover.
Since I’ve always been a little cheese obsessed, I knew I wanted to make an off-the-wall delectable flavored cheese cake and after my experience in Spain, I knew I wanted to use both goat cheese and that floral fig combination. Another ingredient that randomly came to my mind that has wonderful floral notes, but a lot of bakers do not utilize, is Sichuan peppercorn. I know, I know, it sounds maybe a bit strange and I knew this flavor combo might be a bit of a stretch, but I had to try this potentially special and different dessert.
As Nick and I collaborated on this fun dessert it brought me back to those wonderful evenings in Spain, and how excited we were to be there. After the figs were poached and the syrup had reduced, the whole kitchen was filled with this amazing complex aroma that made my mouth water. We both looked at each other and knew this could be a lovely dessert.
Fun facts about figs.
“The fig is believed to be indigenous to Western Asia and to have been distributed by man throughout the Mediterranean area. It has been cultivated for thousands of years, remnants of figs having been found in excavations of Neolithic sites traced to at least 5,000 B.C. As time went on, the fig-growing territory stretched from Afghanistan to southern Germany and the Canary Islands. Pliny The Elder was aware of 29 types. Figs were introduced into England some time between 1525 and 1548. It is not clear when the common fig entered China but by 1550 it was reliably reported to be in Chinese gardens. European types were taken to China, Japan, India, South Africa and Australia.
The first figs in the New World were planted in Mexico in 1560. Figs were introduced into California when the San Diego Mission was established in 1769. Later, many special varieties were received from Europe and the eastern United States where the fig reached Virginia in 1669. The Smyrna fig was brought to California in 1881-82 but it was not until 1900 that the wasp was introduced to serve as the pollinating agent and make commercial fig culture possible. From Virginia, fig culture spread to the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. The tree was planted in Bermuda in early times and was common around Bahamian plantations in Colonial days. It became a familiar dooryard plant in the West Indies, and at medium and low altitudes in Central America and northern South America. There are fair-sized plantations on mountainsides of Honduras and at low elevations on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. From Florida to northern South America and in India only the common fig is grown. Chile and Argentina grow the types suited to cooler zones.”
Julia F. Morton, Purdue
What are the benefits of Goat Cheese?
Goat cheese contains probiotics, vitamins A, K, riboflavin, folate, and niacin, which maintain bone and exoskeleton health and assist in the synthesis of red blood cells (RBCs) and blood clotting. There are also elements (minerals), such as phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, and copper- all of these ensure the smooth functioning of enzymatic processes and synthesis and activation of these enzymes, hormones, and other cofactors.
What are the benefits of Sichuan Peppercorn?
Sichuan Peppercorns are from Sichuan, China. This ingredient features a natural citrus-aromatic that is from terpenes; beta-mycrene, geraniol, limonene, cineol and citronellal. Just like a lemongrass and any other source that includes an all-natural citrus-flavor, it is known as the natural aromatic source which help you feel refreshed and clear headed. Helps gastro intestinal tract and digestive issues. It’s rich in minerals like potassium, copper, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. The iron is a vital substance in hemoglobin that carries the oxygen the red blood vessels. Sichuan peppercorns also helps with tooth pain and stimulate the appetite.
What are the benefits of Honey?
Honey is another very wonderful and soothing remedy that has nutrients and minerals which have many benefits. It can help upper respiratory tract infections, it is an anti inflammatory, helps with immunity and allergies. It also can help with acid reflux/digestive tract issues. Honey may help prevent artery hardening, it can ease period cramps, helps your skin, hair, is an antioxidant and so much more.
What are the benefits of Figs?
Figs are full of antioxidants and have calcium and magnesium which are good for your bones. They are high in fiber and a source of vitamin A.
Anyway, we let the cheese cake cool, then decorated the top with witchy looking poached figs that had been sitting in the glaze that we then drizzled all over the top of the cake. We decided to take a chance and photograph it on our first try before even tasting it. I do not know why we were so confident, I think we were mesmerized by the cake itself. I styled the finished cheesecake with pink roses in a vase and a deep charcoal cloth to create that moody and rich but more simplistic vibe. I wanted the cake to be the main attraction. The glaze made the cake glisten which bounced light perfectly for light painting. As soon as we were done shooting, we took no time to cut slices and dig right in. Like I said before, It was weird to shoot a dessert I had not tasted but it was so beautiful and smelled so amazing we thought this was worth it even it is was a failed experiment. Also in our opinion, you have to try crazy flavor combinations to find some amazing new food creations.
It was thankfully a success! As we dug into our slices we had smiles from ear to ear. Nick even did his ‘this is so up my alley dance”, which warms my heart always. So if you want a cheesecake recipe that is very different but can bring excitement to your tastebuds this might be the recipe for you. Who knows maybe I’ll even convert a few people that are not huge fans of figs. Once you have the right marriage of pairings (even if they are strange sounding) its worth taking that risk. So please, if you have any curiosity about this cake, give it a try, I dare you!
Now go have fun, and remember, bake with intention that nature is love and love is food.
Cheers
Drew Johanna Night
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Goat Cheese Cake w/ Honey Poached Figs & Sichuan Peppercorn
Ingredients
Almond Crust:
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 1/2 (180g) cups slivered almonds
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup (22g) gram cracker crumbs
Goat Cheesecake Filling:
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or 2 inch vanilla bean segment, split lengthwise
- 1 cup (250g) ricotta cheese
- 4 large eggs, room temperature, whites and yolks separated
- 4oz soft fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
- 4oz cream cheese
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 Cup (60 g) creme fraiche 1/4 cup
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Honey Poached Figs:
- 1/3 cup (113g) honey
- 1/4 cup (62g) sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
- 10 Sichuan peppercorns
- 1lb (453g) fresh figs
Instructions
For the Almond Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350F (non-convection) and prepare a 9 inch springform pan. Grease and line with parchment paper. Cover the outside the pan about 3/4 of the way up with 3-4 layers of strong aluminum foil to make sure no water seeps in when you bake the cheesecake in a water bath.
- In a food processor, finely blend the Almonds, Sugar and Gram Cracker Crumbs, then pulse while drizzling in the Melted Butter until the mixture is moist.
- Remove mixture and transfer to the bottom of the springform pan. Pack it down to make a smooth even layer.
- Transfer to middle rack of oven and blind bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool briefly.
For the Goat Cheese Cake:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the Ricotta, Goat Cheese, and Cream cheese on low speed until smooth. Slowly add in the egg yolks and mix until incorporated. Add the Crème Fraîche, Vanilla, 2/3 Cup Sugar and Lemon Juice. Sift in the cornstarch and mix until homogenous. Transfer contents to a wide nonreactive mixing bowl. Thoroughly clean and dry stand mixer bowl.
- Switch stand mixer fitting to a whisk attachment and return the bowl. Beat Egg Whites and Cream of Tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2-3 minutes. Add in final 2/3 cup sugar, and continue beating until you have medium peaks.
- Mix in 1/3 of the meringue with the cheese mixture to temper it, then gently fold in the rest in 2 additions, taking care not to over-mix and deflate the batter. Pour cheesecake filling over crust.
- Boil a full kettle of water over high heat. Prepare a high rimmed baking pan or casserole dish that is longer than 9 inches on both sides. Place onto the middle rack of your oven and place your foil lined cake pan into it. Pour the boiling water into the outer pan until it comes halfway up the cake pan.
- Bake at 350F for 1 hour. If the top starts browning too quickly, turn the temperature down to 325F. The cake is set when it jiggles only slightly in the center, or it reaches 145F on an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the filling.
- Once done, transfer cake to a cooling rack until room temperature. Cover and refrigerate in cake pan for at least a few hours, up to overnight.
For the Honey Poached Figs:
- Combine first five ingredients along with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Carefully add figs to simmering liquid and poach until tender, 4-5 minutes. Remove figs off-heat and let cool.
- Return syrup to medium-high heat. Reduce liquid down by 3/4, until simmering bubbles begin to build up on each other and foam, 5-8 minutes. Stir occasionally and watch to prevent boil-over. Syrup is finished when it coats the back of a spoon. You should be left with around 1/2 cup of syrup. Remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate figs in syrup until ready to use.
Assembly:
Take cake from refrigerator and remove from springform pan. Top with poached figs and drizzle additional syrup over. Enjoy!
