Berry Tarts with Sweet Goat Cheese Mousse

This is one of those desserts that looks fancy, tastes sophisticated, but comes together so quickly and easily that you'll wonder why you'd ever bother making anything else. 

The goat's cheese is sweetened and whipped with cream to create a sweet and tangy base for the berries that's both light and rich at the same time. The berries can be a mix of whatever you have on hand, or whatever was on sale at the store. Plus, they look adorable which makes them a great choice if you are having people over for dinner. 

It took a bit of trial and error before I had a recipe that I was 100% happy with. The first batch was too sweet and the goat cheese barely noticeable. Then I went in the opposite direction and sort of overdid the goat's cheese flavor with the next batch. As I was sampling them all I could think was "ooh.. that's really goaty" 

Not exactly the words you want to come to mind when eating dessert (is 'goaty' even a word?). 

The third batch was the charm with the goat cheese and sweetness level hitting a nice balance. It's like the Goldilocks of recipe development: Too Bland, Too Goaty, Juuuuust Right. 

The goat's cheese is first whipped with vanilla and icing sugar, then placed in the fridge to stay cool while the cream is whipped into soft peaks. 

The two are gently folded together to create an airy mousse. The whole process takes under 10 minutes (even less if you have two bowls for your mixer, I don't so I always have to stop and give mine a rinse in between). 


Then the mousse is spooned into tart shells. I used the store-bought puff pastry ones because I love the texture of puff pastry but if I had to make it myself it would move this recipe from the 'super-duper easy' category into the 'expert-takes-all-day' category. And if I'm going to spend all day making puff pastry, I'm probably just going to turn them into croissants or something else that lets the pastry shine. So store-bought it is! 

The berries were a mix of raspberries and blueberries I had leftover from this recipe, plus cherries that had somehow survived my intense cherry binge from a few days earlier. Ah summer, so beautiful and so tasty. 



Now, this was the only step that was a bit time consuming. I wanted the cherries to be eaten along with the other berries, not picked off the top and eaten separately, which means they needed to be cut in half and have their stone removed. If you're in a rush, then skip this step and plunk the whole cherry on top, or just stick to raspberries and blueberries. 

I mean, it's not SO time consuming.. it's not like embroidering a cake with sprinkles. But it takes more time than making the mousse did, so it's completely optional. 

But look how cute the cherries look! Worth it. 

Easy, delicious, and crowd pleasing. It's a win, win, win! 

 Berry Tarts with Sweet Goat Cheese Mousse

12 tart shells, baked and cooled

175g (1 1/4 small packages) of plain goat's cheese at room temp

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 cup whipping cream

blueberries

raspberries

12 cherries

1. In the bowl of your mixer stir the goat's cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the icing sugar until combined. Add the vanilla extract and whip on high for 1 minute. Place in the fridge to keep cool until needed.

2. Thoroughly whip the whipping cream on high until soft and fluffy. Gently fold in the goat cheese mixture using a spatula. Do not over-fold or you risk deflating the mousse.

3. Divide the mousse between the 12 tart shells. Top with an assortment of berries and serve.

Tip: The tart shells will get soggy if left for too long, serve within 2 - 3 hours of assembling. To make ahead, bake the shells and leave at room temperature, make the mousse and store in the fridge. Assemble before serving.

 

Comments

[Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe]

Oh boy, you had me at goat cheese. (I also snorted at "oooh, that's really goaty"). In any case, these look like the perfect summer dessert. I haven't even got my paws on any cherries yet this year, so I'd better kick that plan into high gear.

[Emily]

I love those little tart molds, where did you get them? they are too cute!

[A Canadian Foodie]

PH, My! "Tis the season and you can make your own cheese, too! Gorgeous!
:)
V

[Renee]

So pretty! So summery! Goat cheese and fruit is one of my favourite combos, I'm already plotting in my brain how I can make these GF at work. Thanks lady!

[Sarah]

Cherries and goats cheese go wonderfully together, pitting them is definitely the way to go. Sounds lovely!

[Mary at n00bcakes]

Oh I LOVE this recipe! I'm always looking for desserts like this, ones that are beautiful and delicious, but still easy to whip together; it's the best way to make friends and influence people, right? :D

Plus I love goat cheese. Man I can't wait to try this one out. :)

[Jarvis]

Goaty has just entered my vocabulary as an adjective of choice.

[DessertByCandy]

Yup, definitely worth the little extra effort to pit the cherries. So precious and adorable! I like the goat cheese mousse idea. A little unexpected compare to pastry cream.

[erin @ yummy supper]

Stephanie, how brilliant to use goat cheese instead of custard. I always love a good berry tart and I bet the goat cheese adds a good creamy tang - plus with the added protein of the cheese, we could call this a good-for-you dessert, right;)
Hope all is well with you!
xo
E

[Amber@BareNaturalMommy]

Those look gorgeous! I love your blog, you have the most beautiful pictures. Can't wait to read more. :)

[Magdalene Mwangi]

Nice one , thanks for sharing