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11/05/2002 Archived Entry: "Miniature Goat Cheese Cakes"

There are so many wonderful recipes in Sara Moulton Cooks at Home by Sara Moulton. I want to cook them all. Sara is one of the few TV cooks who actually makes food we all have the skills to make and may actually want to make. No complicated “chef food.” Just superb, delicious homecooking. There are dishes here for every day, for celebrations, and even for days when those of us who find solace in the kitchen decide we want to spend a good part of the day there.

How to choose which recipe to post here? This website seems to be short on appetizers for parties, and these tiny tarts are simple, elegant, and versatile. You can pass them around at a party. You can put them on a plate with a salad. They’re excellent right out of the oven, warm, even at room temperature, although Sara says they reheat very well. I wouldn’t know. They disappeared before I had a chance to try the reheating directions at the end of the recipe.

Miniature Goat Cheese Cakes
Makes 18 cakes

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for buttering the tin
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup very finely chopped toasted walnuts (almost ground)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
1/4 pound cream cheese, softened
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a nonstick mini-muffin tin with 18 1/8-cup wells that measure 1 3/4 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch deep.

Mix the bread crumbs, walnuts, and butter in a small bowl with half the salt and half the pepper. Stir with a fork until thoroughly combined. Place 2 teaspoonfuls of the mixture in each cup and press down into the bottom to form a crust.

Best the goat cheese and cream in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth, light, and fluffy. Beat in the egg, chives, and remaining salt and pepper.

Divide the cheese mixture between the wells and smooth the tops with a knife.

Bake until puffed, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the rim of each cake and carefully unmold.

Note: These can be baked a day ahead and kept covered and chilled in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350 degree oven until hot.