LEMONADE CHEESECAKE

LEMONADE CHEESECAKE
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp. Crystal Light Lemonade Flavor Soft Drink Mix
1/4 cup cold milk
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed
1 ready-to-use graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz. or 9 inch)

• Beat cream cheese and drink mix in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended and smooth.
• Gradually add milk, mixing until well blended.
• Gently stir in whipped topping.
• Spoon into crust.
• Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.
• Garnish with fruit, if desired.

ORANGE CHIFFON CHEESECAKE

ORANGE CHIFFON CHEESECAKE
Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter or margarine – melted (1/2 cup)

Filling:
1 cup orange juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
12 ounces cream cheese -- softened
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 packet whipped topping mix
1/2 cup milk
2 medium oranges -- peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup chopped orange segments)
1 orange -- peeled and sectioned for garnish

• Spray a 9-inch spring-form pan with nonstick vegetable spray.
• Blend crust ingredients thoroughly and press over bottom and halfway up sides of pan.
• Bake in preheated 350F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until set.
• Cool.
• Pour orange juice into a small saucepan.
• Sprinkle gelatin over orange juice and let soften 1 minute.
• Heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin dissolves (about 3 minutes).
• Blend cream cheese and ricotta in a large bowl until smooth; stir in sugar.
• Add gelatin mixture to cheese mixture; blend until smooth.
• Prepare whipped topping according to package directions, substituting milk for water.
• Fold whipped topping into cheese mixture.
• Stir in chopped oranges.
• Spoon into prepared crust and spread evenly. Chill 6 hours or overnight.
• Garnish with orange sections if desired.

Yield: 16 servings.

SAVORY LEMON HERB CHEESECAKE APPETIZER WITH JALAPENO AND LIME MARGUERITE

SAVORY LEMON HERB CHEESECAKE APPETIZER WITH JALAPENO AND LIME MARGUERITE
SALMON

Salmon cure
6 ounce fillet of salmon (Cure salmon three days before using)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced
Zest of three limes and the juice
Zest of one orange

Cheesecake ingredients:
1/4 pound cream cheese
1/4 pound goat cheese
1/4 pound boursin au poivre cheese
1/2 tablespoon each of finely chopped dill, chives and fresh chervil
1 egg yolk plus 1 whole egg
Zest of two lemons
2 baking potatoes, peeled and sliced paper thin
12 sprigs of fresh chervil and 12 pieces of chives, two to four inches for garnish

• Mix sugar, Kosher salt, jalapeno, zests and juice together.
• Place the salmon on a wire rack and pack it with the mixture.
• Refrigerate uncovered for three days.
• Remove from refrigerator and wipe off the mixture.
• Slice as thin as possible. Put aside and make cheesecake.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Whip cheeses, egg yolk, whole egg and zest together.
• Grease a 12-muffin tin or two six-muffin tins with vegetable spray and line the potato slices in each muffin round.
• Bake for two to three minutes, until potatoes brown slightly.
• Fill the muffin pans with the cheese mixture.
• Place pans in a pan of water and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and chill.
• Pop the cheesecakes out of the muffin pan.
• Bake potato side up in a 375-degree oven for four minutes to warm.
• Plate the cakes potato side up.
• Top each with a rosette of the salmon and a teaspoon of tomato salsa.
• Garnish with a sprig of fresh chevril and chives standing crisscross against the cheesecake.

Savory Blue Cheesecake

Savory Blue Cheesecake

CAKE FILLING
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons fresh Mexican mint marigold chopped
1-1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature 1
2 ounces bleu cheese, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sour cream 4 eggs 1
/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons fresh Spanish or Greek oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

TOPPING
2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chives

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Rub generously with butter the sides and bottom of a 10-inch spring-form pan.
• Combine bread crumbs and marigold, evenly coating buttered surfaces with mixture. Set aside.
• Beat cheeses at low speed with electric mixer until well blended, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape sides of bowl and add sour cream; beat at medium speed for one minute.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in the onion, garlic, pepper, mustard and herbs.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 1-1/2 hours or until set in center.
• Combine topping ingredients.
• When cake is almost set, remove from oven and let stand 5-20 minutes.
• Spread topping over cake; return to oven for 3-5 minutes or until the sour cream is set.
• Cool on wire rack for 1-1/2 to 2 hours before removing from pan.
• Chill thoroughly, preferable overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.

Herb & Wheat Beer Cheesecake

Herb & Wheat Beer Cheesecake

1 1/4 C flour, civided
2 tsp salt, divided
1 T plus 2 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
6 T butter cut into T size
3/4 C + 3 T wheat beer
3 8 oz packages cream cheese softened
5 oz goat cheese, softened
1/2 tsp pepper
5 lg eggs
1/2 C Pamesan cheese, grated
3 T fresh dill
3 T prepared pesto
2 T chopped chives
2 T lemon juice

• Spray an 8 in spring form pan with cooking spray
• In a food processor combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp tarragon and lemon zest, pulse tmbine
• Add butter, pulse until butter is the size of peas
• In a small bowl, mix 3 T wheat beer with yolk of one egg, whip lightly,
• Add to food processor
• Pulse until mixture is crumbly
• Press in the bottom and up the sides of prepared pan
• Place pan in freezer
• Preheat oven to 425* F
• In a large bowl put cream cheese, goat cheese, 1/4 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt and pepper beat with electric mixer until smooth
• Beat in 4 remaining eggs, and white of other egg, Parmesan cheese, dill, pesto, and chives,
• Stir in remainig 3/4 C wheat beer and lemon juice
• Remove pan from freezer pour filling into crust
• Bake cheesecake 20 minutes, reduce heat to 325*F
• Bake an additional 40-45 minutes until otp is lightly golden and filling is set
• Remove cheesecake from Oven
• Cool on wire rack
• Refrigerate over night, remove from pan
• Transfer to serving plate
• Garnish with fresh dill
• Serve with crackers

Cheesecake with Roasted Strawberries

Cheesecake with Roasted Strawberries

1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted margarine
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup eggs (2 large or 3 medium)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
roasted strawberries (recipe follows)

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and melted margarine.
• Press into bottom of 9" springform pan.
• Combine softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, eggs and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla.
• Blend until smooth and pour over crust.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Cool 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Blend well.
• Spread over cream cheese layer and bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees.
• Cool at least 5 hours or overnight in refrigerator.
• Cut cheesecake into 8 pieces
• Top with roasted strawberries and whipped topping.

ROASTED STRAWBERRIES
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
16 strawberries, whole
1 cup heavy cream -- chilled
2 tablespoons amaretto
mint leaves for garnish

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• In an ovenproof skillet just large enough to hold the strawberries in one layer, melt the butter in the oven 2 to 3 minutes.
• Watch carefully so that it does not burn.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and stir in 2 tablespoons of the sugar; the mixture will be grainy.
• Add the berries, tossing to coat them.
• in a single layer.
• Roast, stirring and turning once or twice, until the berries just begin to soften and the sugar melts, about 5 minutes.
• Gently roll the roasted berries in the pan syup to coat, then let them cool for about 5 minutes in the skillet.
• Meanwhile, whip the cream with the amaretto and the remaining granulated sugar just until soft peaks form.
• Divide the cream among each cheesecake piece.
• Arrange the lukewarm berries in the cream, pointed ends up.
• Using a teaspoon, dribble the pan syrup over the cream.
• garnish with fresh mint leaves

Pizza Cheesecake

Pizza Cheesecake
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 package cream cheese -- (8 ounces) softened
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon anise seed
3/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup minced pepperoni
1/2 cup very thinly sliced plum tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced bell peppers
1/4 cup crushed pineapple

• Preheat oven to 350F
• In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and melted butter.
• Press into a 9-inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove crust from oven, set aside.
• Reduce oven to 325F
• In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and ricotta.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time.
• Stir in spices, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
• Beat just to combine and pour cheese filling onto prepared crust.
• Bake until set, about 45 minutes.
• Remove from oven and top with tomatoes, bell peppers, pineapple, and remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
• Bake until cheese melts, about 8 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool on rack.