Last week I checked out Westwood's Napa Valley Grille. I wasn't sure what to expect because, uh, it's a, ahem, chain, small chain, but nonetheless, such establishments with multiple locations scare me. Luckily, I didn't really know that going in to the dinner (learned later on), and the menu certainly didn't read like a chain. In fact, the NVG specializes in seasonal, market driven dishes using locally sourced ingredients, which is TOTALLY my thing. The Cliff Notes version of this story is that the dinner was great! I had a lovely duck breast with heirloom carrots, tasty flatbread, but the all star winner of the evening was the Laura Chenel Goat Cheese Tart. I had actually tried a version of this dessert before, and this one was just as delicious with a crisp bruleed top, creamy, tangy goat cheese center, and some berries to cut the richness. The best part? I was able to score the recipe which I am psyched to share. Seriously, try it out, you will be the MVP of the party. BTW- Who is Laura Chenel? The pioneer of American goat cheese in this country!

Laura Chenel Goat Cheese Tart

Serves 8

Pasta Frolla Crust:

4.5 oz All Purpose Flour

2 oz granulated sugar

2.25 oz butter

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 Tbsp milk

zest of ½ a lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a standing mixer, blend well all the dry ingredients, add butter and mix until it becomes a sandy texture. Then, add the zest, egg, and milk and mix on the lowest speed briefly until a soft dough comes together. You can finish this process by kneading a couple of times by hand, wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line eight 4" individual molds or one 10" tart mold, line with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the bottoms are still tender.

Goat Cheese Filling

12 oz chèvre (goat milk cheese)

6 oz sour cream

3 oz sugar

2 oz honey

2 LG eggs

Mix ingredients quickly in standing mixer until creamy and homogenous, adding the eggs at the end to prevent a soufflé effect when baking.

Remove pie weights form the prepared shells, and fill with the goat cheese mixture. Return to oven at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes for individual tarts or 45 minutes for a large one. The tarts are ready when they jiggle lightly in the center but the edges are firm. Let cool to room temperature.

Before serving the tarts, dust the tops with sugar and caramelize with a torch.  Lightly drizzle the tops with some Orange Blossom Honey, and garnish with some chilled blackberries and dust the edges with powdered sugar.