Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Cornmeal Shells
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g fine yellow cornmeal
- 115 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 1 egg, large
- 3 g salt
- 30 ml cold water
Whipped Goat Cheese
- 150 g fresh goat cheese, softened
- 50 g cream cheese, softened
- 30 ml heavy cream
- 2 g lemon zest
- 2 g fresh thyme leaves
Roasted Pepper Topping
- 1 red bell pepper
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 5 ml sherry vinegar
- flaky sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the whole bell pepper directly over a gas flame or under a broiler set to high. Char evenly until the skin is blackened and blistered on all sides.
Transfer the charred pepper to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap to steam for 10 minutes. This loosens the skin.
In a food processor, pulse the flour, cornmeal, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse wet sand.
Add the egg and pulse just until the dough comes together. If too dry, add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time. Form into a disk, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Roll out dough to 3mm thickness. Press into barquette molds or mini muffin tins. Prick the bottoms with a fork (docking).
Bake the shells for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove from molds and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Peel the skin off the steamed pepper, remove seeds, and finely dice the flesh (brunoise). Toss with olive oil and sherry vinegar.
Whip the goat cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, lemon zest, and thyme together until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag.
Pipe the goat cheese mixture into the cooled cornmeal shells. Top generously with the marinated red pepper mixture and finish with flaky salt.
Chef's Notes
- To achieve a cleaner presentation, dry the roasted peppers with a paper towel before tossing in oil, otherwise the red juices may bleed into the white cheese.
- The addition of cream cheese is crucial; pure goat cheese can be grainy and chalky. The cream cheese provides the necessary emulsion for a smooth mouthfeel.
- If you don't have barquette molds, you can bake flat rounds of the dough to make savory cookies, then pipe the cheese on top for a 'canapé' style presentation.
- For an extra kick, add a pinch of smoked paprika or cayenne pepper to the cornmeal dough.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store components separately. Assembled barquettes will soften after 2-3 hours.
Freezer: 1 month — Baked unfilled shells can be frozen.
Reheating: Re-crisp shells in oven at 150°C/300°F for 5 minutes before filling.
