From the Archives: Goat Cheese Cake with Blueberry Lavender Compote

Continuing my obsession with putting herbs in desserts established in the previous post, this recipe capitalizes on spicy ginger and aromatic lavender infusing crust and compote to balance out a bright, creamy goat cheese filling. I got the recipe for the cheesecake here, but the original topping idea didn't appeal to me, so I found something a little less cloying. This blueberry lavender compote created a more balanced final product. Plus, when your cheesecake is gone, you can mix it into yogurt or eat it over ice cream. It's the condiment that keeps on giving.



Ready to make some gingersnap cheesecake crust? This will be the base of the goat-cheese cake that I will top with a blueberry lavender compote. Buckle up!




Crumbling the cookies made my kitchen smell very gingery - perfect for the sunny June afternoon when I first made the recipe.




I made extra crust thinking I would need more than normal for all of my jars. This was a gross miscalculation; after filling 18 jars, I had enough left over to make a regular-sized 8-inch crust too. SO MUCH PIE!




Goat cheese + cream cheese in the bowl, along with the other ingredients for the cheesecake. See me trying to ease my conscience by using the light sour cream?




Bowl full o' dairy. Also, someone ought to scrape the edge of that bowl. Who's in charge of this kitchen?? On a serious note, the goat cheese blended really well with the regular cream cheese. I used a mix of plain and honey flavored goat cheese, and it was just the right amount of "zing" (to use the technical term).




Miraculously, there was exactly enough batter to fill all of my jars plus the extra pie crust. Again, I'd increased the crust recipe by 50%, so I have no idea why this worked out.




After more than an hour in the oven, everybody is looking good! I wish I could describe how gently they fell when I pierced each one with a toothpick. This is a very light cheesecake, which is nice in warmer weather.




The ginger crust was a good complement to the stronger flavor of the goat cheese in the filling.




This little guy is ready for his compote. The blueberry and lavender flavors blended very easily, and the subtle floral aroma underscored the spicy ginger in the crust and the sharpness of the goat cheese.




Ingredients for blueberry lavender compote ready to go into the pot. I promise I strained out the lemon seeds and pulp before pouring it in! (Sidenote: I had to run all over town looking for the lavender to use in this recipe. After Meijer AND World Market let me down, good ol' Target came though ftw)




The directions insisted that after mixing all the ingredients and adding heat, the berries would "give up their water." I had no idea what that meant, and frankly the phrasing made me feel slightly uncomfortable. Anyway, I had little to fear; this is how they looked when I first mixed everything together over a medium flame, and then, about 5 minutes later...




...this happened! The aroma of lavender and blueberry was so pleasant and interesting that I had to taste it, and it was actually refreshingly tart thanks to the 1/4 cup of lemon juice.




The finished product: Goat-cheese cake with ginger cookie crust and blueberry lavender compote. These are really tasty, you guys.