Mini Goat Cheesecakes

Submitted by skat5762

"These are touted as an appetizer, but I loved them on top of a simple green salad. From Sara Moulton Cooks At Home. Prep/Cook times do not include time for toasting walnuts."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Yields: 18 cakes

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for buttering tin
• 1⁄2 cup fresh breadcrumb (recipe also posted)
• 1⁄2 cup very finely chopped toasted walnuts
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 5 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
• 1⁄4 lb cream cheese, softened
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Butter a nonstick mini-muffin tin with eightenn 1/8 cup wells that measure 1 3/4 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch deep.
3. Mix the bread crumbs, walnuts, and butter in a small bowl with half the salt and half the pepper.
4. Stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.
5. Place 2 teaspoonfuls of the mixture in each cup and press down into bottom to form a crust.
6. Beat the goat cheese and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth, light, and fluffy.
7. Beat in the egg, chives, and remaining salt and pepper.
8. Divide between the wells and smooth the tops with a knife.
9. Bake until puffed, about 15 minutes.
10. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the rim of each cake and carefully unmold.
11. Note: These can be baked a day ahead and kept covered and chilled in the refrigerator.
12. Reheat in a 350-degree oven until hot.

Reviews

[Lizzie-Babette]

Delicious recipe! I only had light cream cheese and regular bread crumbs, so I made this recipe with those slight ingredient changes. Perhaps because I didn't have fresh bread crumbs, my "crust" needed an extra tablespoon of melted butter, and didn't hold together well when I removed the cakes from the tins. However, I just sprinkled the crust left in the tins over the cakes. The taste and texture were just delicious, and they looked as good as they tasted. I served them with a bunch of seedless red grapes, and four of us just devoured them as an appetizer. I LOVE this, and will make again. When I do, I'll really start tinkering, and maybe use olive oil in the bread crumb/walnut mix instead of butter, maybe even adding some garlic powder to it. I used plain goat cheese this time, but will probably try some of the herbed or peppered cheeses next time. Extraordinarily good - thanks, s"kat!