mini cheesecakes were made as part of a holiday appetizer class and make a nice addition to a buffet table. They can be made a day ahead of time and kept chilled.
Makes about twenty-four mini cheesecakes
Ingredients:
2 lbs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded Jarlsberg cheese
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried dill
1/3 cup diced black olives
Procedure:
Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix the cream cheese well until very soft. Add in the sour cream and mix to blend. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine well, scraping down the bowl once or twice.
Divide the batter into the muffin cups. Place the muffin pans on sheet pans that can hold water. Pour in about 3/4-inch of hot water onto each tray.
Bake the cheesecakes until a knife inserted comes out almost clean, about 25 minutes. Cool before removing from the pans.
Fresh Mozzarella in Herb Sauce
One summer when I was teaching at Kitchen Classics, we started a large container herb garden in the back of the store. I loved being able to go out the door and pick fresh herbs to use in our classes. This great appetizer came about as part of a class I taught featuring fresh herbs. It can be prepared very quickly and is great served with slices of crusty baguettes. I am not a huge fan of anchovies, so I prefer using only two in this recipe.
Makes six servings
Ingredients:
16 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
4 large fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 or 3 anchovy fillets, drained
Freshly grated pepper to taste
2 tablespoons capers in brine, drained
Procedure:
Cut the mozzarella into 12 slices. Place the slices in a serving dish, slightly overlapping the edges.
Place all the remaining ingredients except the capers in a food processor and puree.
Pour this sauce on the cheese and sprinkle with the capers. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve at room temperature.
Gila Bend Cheesecake
This was the first savory cheesecake I had ever tasted. My buddy Ken Jackman was the originator of this recipe. He was probably one of the most talented chefs that I ever worked with. Since we were in Arizona, he wanted to give the cheesecake a southwestern name so it was named after the small city of Gila Bend. We served this cheesecake when we had buffets at Gainey Ranch Golf Club and it would be cut into small wedges. As a lunch entrée, cut the cake into large wedges and heat it just until warm about 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven. I have also made this into mini cheesecakes for quite a few appetizer classes. Just use cupcake liners and bake them in muffin tins as in the Jarlsberg Cheesecake recipe. The baking time is shortened to 25-30 minutes and the mini- cheesecakes can be served after refrigerating them for 2 hours.
This recipe makes a cake for 24 buffet portions, 10 lunch-sized portions or about 24 mini cheesecakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cups plain breadcrumbs
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 pounds 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 large eggs
2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup ham, diced
1/2 cup mild green chilies, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 teaspoon each ground cumin, chili powder and salt
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the breadcrumbs with the melted butter. Press this mixture onto the bottom of a greased 10-inch spring form pan. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes.
Mix the cream cheese using the paddle attachment of a mixer until it is very soft. Add in the grated Cheddar cheese and mix just to blend. Add the eggs in one at a time. Scrape the bowl down so that you won’t have lumps of unincorporated cheese. Fold in all the remaining ingredients.
Pour the batter into the spring form pan. Wrap foil around the outside of the pan. Place the cheesecake inside a roasting pan that you fill halfway with hot water. Bake the cheesecake at 350 for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. A thin knife inserted into the center of the cake should have small curdled looking particles on it when removed. The knife should not come out clean; this means that the cheesecake has been cooked for too long. Cool the cheesecake for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before removing the foil from around the pan and placing it in the refrigerator. Chill over night before serving.
Note: If you are making this cheesecake for a gathering where people do not eat meat, you can eliminate the diced ham and the cheesecake will still taste great.
Depending on the muffin tin size, you should get about 24 of the mini-cheesecakes, just like you would when making the Jarlsberg Cheescakes on page 17. The tin size that I use for both recipes holds about 4-5 oz. of batter.
Grilled Brie
Grilled Brie served with crisp apple slices and French bread
I adapted this recipe from an appetizer that I really liked at Citrus Café in Chandler, Arizona. My friends Jeff and Dennis owned Citrus and unfortunately, they closed the café in 2007. I taught this as the appetizer in my camping cooking class and it was a hit!
Makes
