Fiber Fool

Thursday night, May 30th was the kick off party for Script Frenzy. Drew has been suckered into being the ML (area coordinator) so while some friends of ours kindly hosted the party, we provided food. At the planning party a few weeks prior a conversation of cheesecake turned towards savory cheesecake. There was mention of roasted garlic and pesto. So, Drew did some research into it and there are many recipes out there, though oddly we never run across a savory cheesecake at a gathering or in restaurants. Time ran short and the cheesecake baking fell to me. Drew shared some recipes that intrigued him and we had some discussions and I developed a recipe of my own that we felt everyone in attendance would enjoy. That said, there are some other varieties we would like to explore when dining with others who may have less or perhaps just different food hang ups.

It was met with much excitement. I wasn’t the only non-script writer in attendance. We didn’t want to waste the cheesecake and it was rather large for our gathering so Drew called Gene who said, “savory cheesecake? When can I come over?” I think everyone who tried it really liked it. It did strike me as much richer than the dessert version. I found I could only eat a half slice or so, but some had seconds and I believe everyone else ate a whole piece besides myself.

The cake is layered. The bottom has pesto mixed into the cheese mixture and it is then topped with unadorned cheese. I topped it with very thinly sliced tomato and pine nuts which roasted during the bake. I will confess to cracking in the top, but a sprig of fresh basil disguised it pretty well.

We provided crackers so it could be eaten more like a spread, but everyone chose to eat as is. If served with crakers as an appetizer I suspect this recipe could easily serve a party of up to 20.

Roasted Garlic and Pesto Cheesecake

For Crust:

• 1/2 c Fine Bread Crumbs
• 1/2 t Dried Basil
• 1/4 t Dried Marjoram
• 1/4 t Dried Thyme
• 2 T Fine Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 T Butter, Melted

For Filling:

• 16 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 C Grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 Head Garlic, Roasted and Made into Paste*
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 C Pesto

For Topping:

• 1/2 Tomato, Thinly Sliced
• 1/4 - 1/3 C Pine Nuts
• Fresh Basil for Garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the crust ingredients and tamp into the bottom of a buttered and parchment lined 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 2-5 minutes to set the crust. Watch carefully you want just a hint of color change.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine the first six filling ingredients and beat until lightened. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next one. Set aside 1/2 of mixture. In the other 1/2 mix in the pesto and pour into pan. Top with plain cheese mixture. Adorn the top with tomato and pine nuts. Bake for 35-45 minutes until middle is only slightly wiggly. Shut oven off and crack the oven door. Let cool to room temperature. Cover well with saran wrap and chill at least three hours before serving. Plate and garnish with fresh basil.

*To roast garlic, peel off as much of the outer paper as possible and slice the top off to reveal the cloves. Place on aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Close and bake at 325 for 20-40 minutes. Once cool enough to touch, squeeze the cloves out onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with another pinch of salt and mash well into paste.