honeyed greek yogurt + goat cheese tart with pistachio crust

This recipe was featured by Food & Wine a few years ago and I’ve always been a huge fan. The idea of goat cheese in a dessert seemed so interesting at the time but when you think about what a delicious combination goat cheese and honey are, this makes perfect sense.

The recipe calls for almond extract in the crust but I didn’t have any and used rose water instead. I love the idea of rose water and pistachios but to tell you the truth I couldn’t even taste it. The crust didn’t really taste like pistachios either cause if you think about it, anything that is pistachio flavored is usually flavored by almond extract, which makes you think pistachios have a flavor but they really don’t in my opinion. Bottom line: don’t skip the almond extract if you’re looking for that “pistachio” flavor in the crust.

One successful addition I made were the raspberries. This really brightened up the rich flavors of the yogurt and goat cheese and made for a lovely presentation – perfect for Valentine’s Day! I recommend making 1 day ahead because my crust ended up softening up, which was great.

honeyed greek yogurt + goat cheese tart with pistachio crust

adapted from Food & Wine

ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 11 ounces soft goat cheese
• 2 cups 2% Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• Honey
• Raspberries

instructions

 

1. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until finely ground. In a bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until pale, about 1 minute. Add ground pistachios, almond extract and salt; beat until combined. Add flour; beat at low speed until incorporated and the dough is crumbly.
2. Scrape the dough into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Using the bottom of a glass, press the dough over the bottom and up the side of the tart pan. Be sure to push down enough so that you make room for the filling. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 300°F. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake the crust for about 40 minutes, until lightly golden. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
4. In a bowl, beat the goat cheese, yogurt, lime juice and lime zest until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth. Scrape filling into the crust.
5. Drizzle tart with honey. With a spatula or wooden spoon, swirl honey into tart. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until ready to serve.
6. To serve, garnish with raspberries.

Tags: goat cheese and honey, goat cheese dessert, goat cheese tart, greek yogurt dessert, honeyed goat cheese tart, honeyed yogurt tart, pistachio crust, pistachio flavor, sweets for your sweet, Valentine's Day dessert

• February 13, 2012
• dessert, sweet
• 5 Comments