Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Fig Jam

Ingredients

• For crust:
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• For cheesecake:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 ounces chèvre, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For jam:
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
• 8 ounces dried figs
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• Pinch black pepper
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 350 degrees F. For the crust, combine the dry crust ingredients in a small bowl, leaving out the butter for the moment. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove, or use a microwave-safe bowl. Work the melted butter into the dry mixture with your fingers, then pat the crust in an even layer over the bottoms of the pans. Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the pans, and continue baking for 2-3 minutes more, just until the almond flour has taken on a toasted color. If the crust bubbles energetically from the butter, don't worry; it will settle as it cools. Let the crusts cool all the way before you pour in the filling.
2. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees F. For the filling, use a stand mixer with the paddle attached, or a medium bowl and a handheld electric mixer, to blend the cream cheese, goat cheese, and sugar until creamy. Stay within the first 2 mixer speeds, because extra air is not your friend here, and stop to scrape the bowl frequently. When the cheeses and sugar are fully smooth, mix in the egg until it disappears into the batter, scraping again as you need to. Blend in the cream until incorporated, then add the lemon juice and vanilla and keep mixing, with more scraping, until the batter is completely smooth.
3. Tear off pieces of foil at least 4 inches longer than the diameter of the pans. Set each pan in the middle of its foil, bring the foil gently but snugly up the sides, and crimp it closed at the top. Pour the batter evenly into the pans, put the pans into a baking vessel, and add an inch of hot water to the vessel. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pans, then bake for another 15. From there, check and rotate every 5 minutes; 5-10 minutes more should be enough. Pull them when the cakes still jiggle but no longer look liquid. Take the vessel out of the oven, let the cakes reach room temperature, then remove the foil and let them set in the refrigerator overnight.
4. For the jam, combine the sugar, water, and mustard seeds in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring now and then, until the sugar has dissolved. While that happens, pull the stems from the figs and quarter them. Add the figs to the syrup and cook over medium-high heat until the syrup is very thick and the bubbles slow down and foam, about 30 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon zest, pepper, and vinegar until evenly mixed. Use an immersion blender to roughly break up the fig pieces, or pulse them on a low setting in a regular blender. Chill the jam over an ice bath, or leave it uncovered in the refrigerator.
5. To serve, warm the blade of a paring knife in hot water, then dry it. Run the knife carefully around the inside of each pan, warming and drying the blade again whenever it needs it. Unlatch the springform, open it all the way, and lift it straight up and off. Cut each cake into 6 wedges with the paring knife, warming and wiping the blade between cuts. Spoon jam over each wedge, and add toasted flaked almonds if you like.