Savory Cheesecake with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Blackberries

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I confessed to you guys a few weeks ago that there are some ingredients I never tire of, which means I want to put them in everything.  There’s a whole list of those things: cherries, coconut, chocolate, nuts, fresh from the garden tomatoes and blackberries.  Well, blackberry season has begun so you know what that means- I want to make all things blackberry!  I promise to still provide some variety over the next few weeks as blackberries ripen everywhere, but a girl can only do so much! 😉

My husband starting picking blackberries last week.  So far he’s picked about 3 gallons and I am thinking of all kinds of ways to use them!  One thing that came to mind was combining blackberries with goat cheese in some form or another.  I just felt like the tangy creaminess of goat cheese would pair really well with the sweet, rich, and tart flavor of blackberries. I remembered a goat cheese cheesecake I had many years ago and decided to make my own.  I know a savory version of cheesecake may sound a bit strange, but go with me on this!

Let’s make some cheesecake!

We’re going to make the blackberry mixture that will be swirled into the cheesecake first, so it has time to cool. Put the blackberries and honey in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Mash them with a fork, so they release more of their juices and can be more evenly dispersed in the cheesecake.

We’re going to simmer the blackberries until they thicken.  You’ll know they are done when you can drag a spatula through the mixture and the juice doesn’t completely rush in to fill the gap.

Now we’ll turn off the heat and add the balsamic vinegar.  Taste the mixture at this point.  How sweet the mixture is will obviously vary depending on how sweet your berries are.  Add honey if you want it sweeter, or a little bit of salt if it’s too sweet.  We’ll let that cool while we get everything else together.

First let’s preheat the oven.

Now the crust!  It’s only 2 ingredients- butter and Ritz crackers. Put the crackers in a food processor and process about 10 seconds or until most of the crackers are finely ground.  If you don’t have a food processor, you could also put the crackers in a Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin or mallet.  Now add the melted butter to the crushed crackers and process until the butter is mixed in and the mixture clumps together. Pour the mixture into a spring form pan and press to form the crust.  Already we’re off to a tasty start.

Finally, we’ll make the cream filling for this savory cheesecake.  Put the cream cheese and goat cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together using a paddle attachment.  Now add the sour cream and mix until combined.  Finally, add the salt and eggs and mix until everything is mixed together.

Now it’s time to put it all together.  Pour the goat cheese mixture into the prepared crust and spread it.

Glop (that’s a technical cooking term) the blackberry balsamic compote on top in 6-8 piles.  Press each pile down slightly with a spoon and now take a butter knife and swirl the piles into the cheese mixture.  Make sure you don’t stick your knife too far down, or you will disrupt the crust.

I encased my spring form pan in foil, just to ensure there was no leakage in the oven.  If you trust your spring form pan completely, you may not need this step.  Put it in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is only slightly jiggly and the edges are golden.

Let the cheesecake cool about an hour and then release it from the pan.  Serve on a platter or plate and garnish with some fresh blackberries.  This cheesecake is best served warm or at room temp.  It makes a great addition to a cheese tray or as an after dinner course.  It also makes an excellent appetizer or light lunch.  You could serve small slices with a nice salad.

Enjoy!