Goat Cheese Mousse with Blueberry Compote

Name a cheese and I'm likely to tell you that it's one of my favorites.  In fact, except for a couple of the extra stinky ones, I've rarely met a cheese I didn't love.  Nevertheless, there are a few that make more frequent appearances around here than others and goat cheese is definitely one.  I love the slight tang it has and it's such a great addition to the many salads I make.

Overs the years I've served it crumbled, smeared, breaded and fried and baked into a tart.  But somehow I neglected whipping it into a mousse.  Actually the reason is that most recipes call for twice as much heavy cream as cheese and that's a little rich for me.

But I started to wonder if it would work with one of my other favorite ingredients, Greek yogurt.  Since they're both tart, I did mellow them out with just a touch of cream and the result was a nice balance of sweet and tart, especially when paired with ripe berries.  Pristine white and blue pots make such a pretty "company" dessert.  Or cut up a slice of your favorite angel food cake or banana bread and layer it in with gobs of the creamy mousse and sweet berry compote for a great treat.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Mousse:
1/4 Cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons sugar
8 oz. Greek full fat yogurt
4 oz. Goat cheese
1 Teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

Blueberry Compote:
1 Pint blueberries
1 Tablespoon sugar
Zest of one lemon
Pinch of salt

Make the blueberry compote by adding the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and salt to a pot.  Cook on medium low heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.  The blueberries should be a bit soft but still maintain their shape.  Allow to cool slightly and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Make the mousse by whipping together the heavy cream and sugar, either with a stand or hand mixer.  Beat in the yogurt, goat cheese, vanilla and salt.  Pour evenly into four 8 oz. jars or glasses and refrigerate for about an hour to firm up.  When ready to serve, top each with an equal amount of the blueberry compote.  Makes 4 servings.