Goats Cheese Mousse with Chargrilled Bread

As you might be able to tell, many of my recipes are inspired by unforgettable meals from my travels. This goat’s cheese mousse takes me right back to a little beachside restaurant in St. Martin, where I first tasted the creamiest, dreamiest goat’s cheese tapas. As a self-confessed goat’s cheese devotee, it was love at first bite, so much so that I’ve been thinking about it for five years! This version is my homage to that dish, with a few extra touches to make it even more irresistible.

Ingredients

250g soft goats cheese

100ml whipping cream

1 shallot

10g chives

4 figs

1 tbsp honey

4 tbsp white wine vinegar

20g hazelnuts/almonds

Bread of your choice (I prefer sourdough)

Method

Serves around 2-4 people.

Step 1

Chop up your chives finely. Add your whipping cream to a bowl and whisk (preferably using an electric whisk), until thickened into soft peaks – be careful don’t over whip it or your mousse won’t be light!

Step 2

Add in your goats cheese little by little, slowly incorporating it into the whipped cream mixture until fully combined and a nice mousse texture. Fold in the chives, season with salt and pepper, and put into the ramekin/bowl you will be serving the mousse in and put in the fridge to set – around 3 – 6 hours.

Step 3

Prepare the pickled shallot by thinly slicing, adding to a bowl and pouring the white wine vinegar and some salt over the top. Set aside in the fridge for the same amount of time as the mousse.

Step 4

Once you are ready to serve the mousse. Preheat your oven to 200 C. Cut your figs into quarters, pop on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with honey. Cook in the oven until soft and caramelised, around 10-15 minutes.

When the figs have around 5 minutes left, pop your almonds/hazelnuts in the oven to toast.

Step 5 (Optional but highly recommend as the smokiness of the grilled bread pairs perfectly with the mousse)

Thinly slice your bread and drizzle with olive oil. Using a griddle pan (or grill), chargrill your bread slices until there are grill marks on the bread. Set aside until serving.

Step 6

Assemble and enjoy! Pop the caramelised figs, pickled shallot, and toasted nuts on top of your mousse and tuck in with the bread – simple yet delicious.