Lavender Goat Cheese Tarts

Recipe by Lauren Yerrick, former Pastry Chef at Cassique @ Kiawah Island Club

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SERVES 6

Ingredients

Tart Dough

• 4 oz. Butter    
• 1¾ oz. Sugar    
• 2 oz. Powdered Sugar
• 1 oz. Egg    
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• ½ oz. All-Purpose Flour
• 5½ oz. Cake Flour
• 1¾ tsp. Dried Lavender Blossoms (ground)
• ¼ tsp. Salt    
• 3 oz. White Chocolate

For finishing

• 3 oz. White Chocolate

Goat Cheese Mousse

• 7 oz. Heavy Cream 
• 4¼ oz. Goat Cheese
• 1 oz. Sugar
• 1 oz. Honey

White Chocolate Lavender Ganache 

• 2.1 oz. White Chocolate
• 2 tsp. Corn Syrup      
• 3¼ oz. Heavy Cream    
• 1 Tbs. + ½ tsp. Dried Lavender Blossoms

Caramelized Peaches

• 2 Large Peaches
• 2 oz. Clarified butter
• 3 oz. Simple Syrup

Garnish

• 5 oz. Marcona Almonds (toasted)
• 2 sprigs Lace Lavender    

Preparation

Tart shells

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until smooth and slightly fluffy. 

Add the egg and vanilla, continuing to mix until it all comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl at once and mix until well combined and the dough pulls together.

Refrigerate 2 hours before rolling out. 
    
Grease 6 4½-inch fluted tart pans.
        
Roll out the dough on a well floured surface until 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough using a 5-inch circle templet and line the prepared pans with dough.

Gently press the dough against the sides and bottom of the pans.

Fold extra dough against the inside of the pans to reinforce the edge.

Lightly prick the bottoms with a fork and chill 30 minutes before baking. 

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes until light in color. Let cool completely.  

Melt the white chocolate over a hot water bath. 

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the melted chocolate on the inside of the shell. Let cool.


Goat Cheese Mousse

In an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the heavy cream to medium stiff peaks then set aside in small bowl.

Place the goat cheese, sugar, and honey in the electric mixing bowl and whip until smooth and well.

Gently fold whipped cream that was set aside earlier into the goat cheese mixture with a rubber spatula.

Place the mousse in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, then in a circular motion pipe the mousse into the lined tart shells.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.


White Chocolate Lavender Ganache 

Combine white chocolate pieces and corn syrup in medium bowl.

Heat the heavy cream and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat until just boiling. 

Remove from heat. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate through a mesh sieve to catch the lavender. Let sit for 1 minute.

Gently whisk to bring the mixture together into a ganache. 

Keep warm if using immediately or keep the ganache in the refrigerator until ready to use and heat gently over a hot water bath.  
 

Caramelized Peaches

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit, then cut in half again.

Thinly slice each quarter into about four slices.

In a medium frying pan over medium-low heat, melt the clarified butter then add the peaches and lightly brown on each side.

Turn off heat and add simple syrup to lightly coat the peaches. Remove from pan and let cool to room temperature. 

Repeat this process until all the peaches have been caramelized.

Fan out the peach slices on top of the mousse filled tarts using 5-6 slices per tart depending on size. 


Assembly

Roughly chop the toasted marcona almonds and lace lavender.  

Drizzle the warm white chocolate lavender ganache in a ring in the center of your plate, placing a tart in the center of the ring. 

Sprinkle the chopped marcona almonds and lace lavender over the top of the tart. 
                
Prepared tarts can be kept in the refrigerated for up to 48 hours.

Wine Match

Cabernet SauvignoAglianico,Merlot, Montevetrano, Colli di Salerno, 2010.

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The Cassique clubhouse at Kiawah Island Club, South Carolina, USA. Image courtesy Kiawah Island Club.