Goat Cheese Bread Pudding with Strawberries & Meyer Lemon Recipe

Adding cheese to savory dishes is a no-brainer. Folding crumbles of feta into an egg custard lend a rich tanginess to quiche. Gougeres enriched with a sprinkling of Gruyère have a subtle nuttiness and hit of umami.

But what about dessert?

Besides the usual suspects, like cheesecake or topping a slice of warm apple pie with Cheddar, there are countless ways to showcase cheese in sweet applications.

San Francisco chef Aaron Toensing of Maybeck’s has been known to riff on the classic combination of apple and cheddar by incorporating grated cheese directly into his pie dough. Known for its unexpected ice cream flavors, the Bay Area outposts of Salt & Straw have featured local Cowgirl Creamery’s iconic triple-cream in its Mt. Tam and Toasted Acme Bread ice cream. Most recently, for their seasonal July flavor, the Portland-based company showcased a goat cheese-based ice cream accented with sweet marionberry jam and fiery habañeros. Even more outlandish, “government cheese” flavored ice cream occasionally pops up at San Francisco scoop shop, Humphry Slocombe.

For Batter Bakery’s Jen Musty, when it comes to incorporating cheese into her farmer’s market-inspired treats, the San Francisco baker takes her inspiration from a more traditional source.

“What I look for when baking with cheese is something that would be a natural pairing and elaborate on that,” says Musty. “Something I would want to eat on a cheese platter, then taking that to the kitchen and seeing how I can turn that into something baked.”

Case in point: Musty’s fig, honey, and goat cheese scones, in which she alternates layers of rich, buttery dough with slices of fruit, crumbled Laura Chenel goat’s milk cheese, and a generous drizzling of honey. When figs aren’t available, she’ll swap them out for strawberries and Meyer Lemon. For Musty, a big key to the success of these scones is to keep the chunks of goat cheese and pieces of fruit as intact as possible so each bite is a satisfying mouthful. She uses the layering method anytime she’s working with a soft cheese, like goat or ricotta.

Other favorite flavor combos for Musty: She’s a fan of the versatility of mascarpone, and likes to pair the creamy Italian cheese with Port-poached pears and gingerbread. Brie, or a similar triple-cream cheese, goes well with peaches, especially when partnered with her lavender sea salt shortbread.

“Cheese and cookies can be almost as natural as cheese and crackers if it's the right cookie,” says Musty.

Taking a page out of Musty’s playbook, I decided to add goat’s milk cheese to one of my favorite desserts: Bread pudding. To make the pudding, I soak toasted bread cubes in a rich, vanilla and Meyer lemon-scented custard, then layer fresh strawberries, dollops of sweet strawberry jam, and chunks of Laura Chenel. Baked until warm and bubbly, this decadent dessert proves that cheese really does make everything better.

If you want to try incorporating more cheese into your home baking and dessert making, Batter Bakery Owner Jen Musty offers some more tips to keep in mind:

When brainstorming flavors, consider combinations you would find on a cheese or charcuterie board.
Keep in mind what form the cheese will take and how it’s suited to the texture of the dessert. A harder cheese that's super gooey when hot and melted may not necessarily taste great or have a good mouthfeel when served in a dessert that’s served room temperature or chilled.
Incorporate sweeteners, like honey, that pair well with the earthy notes of cheese.

Goat Cheese Bread Pudding with Strawberries and Meyer Lemon

Serves 8 to 10

Unsalted butter for greasing the pan

1 pound sourdough bread or other rustic country loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cups half-and-half

4 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Finely grated zest of 2 Meyer lemons

½ teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces Laura Chenel goat’s milk cheese, crumbled into chunks

1 cup strawberry preserves

1 ½ cups hulled and quartered strawberries

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with butter.

Place the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until light golden and dried out slightly, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla paste, lemon zest, and salt until combined. Fold in the bread cubes and let sit for 20 minutes to fully soak up the custard. Give toss halfway through.

Gently spoon half of the bread mixture in a layer on the prepared baking dish. Scatter half of the goat cheese chunks on top of the bread and dollop with half of the preserves. Sprinkle half of the strawberries in between the chunks of goat cheese and dollops of preserves.

Spoon the remaining bread mixture on top, then repeat with the remaining goat cheese, preserves, and berries. (Take care the preserves don’t touch the side of the baking dish, as it may scorch during baking.)

Bake the bread pudding until golden brown and puffy, about 45 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes, then serve.

Recipes, CookingSarah FritscheAugust 24, 2020Goat