Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Savory Southwest Cheesecake

 
I've never made a savory cheesecake before.
I'm more of a cover-it-in-chocolate-and-whipped-cream cheesecake kind of girl.
I'm happy to say this far exceeded my expectations.
See...I needed to make something fancy schmancy for one of the ladies at the office where I work and she doesn't like sweet stuff.
Crazy..I know.
But, I was determined to come up with something as good as cake or "normal" cheesecake. Or, well...at least asprettyas.
This was pretty. And tasty. And addicting. Once you start eating it you really can't stop.
Oh, just one more bite you will tell yourself...but...it will be a lie.
You will eat and eat and eat until it is aaaaaaaaall gone.
Next time you need a savory treat to take to a party - definitely give this a whirl. People will think you are magic to be able to create such deliciousness.
 
 
Savory Southwest Cheesecake
(Slightly adapted from Someone Left The Cake Out In The Rain)
 
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed tortilla chips (with a hint of lime)
1/4 cup butter, melted
 
Cheesecake
1 cup cottage cheese
3 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3 cups aged cheddar, shredded
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chillies
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
4 eggs
 
Topping
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
1 container (8 oz) jalapeno cheddar cheese dip
 
Decorations
seeded, chopped tomato
green onions, chopped
aged cheddar, shredded
 
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray. (I used a 7 inch and a 4 inch pan to make this)
Combine crushed tortilla chips and butter. Press firmly into bottom of prepared pan (or pans).
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Remove from heat after 12 minutes and set on wire rack.
Meanwhile, place cottage cheese in magic bullet or blender and process until smooth.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cottage cheese, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chillies, garlic, tomato paste, and spices.
When well combined, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Pour over crust in prepared pan (or pans).
Bake 60 minutes.
Combine sour cream and jalapeno cheddar cheese dip until smooth. Spread mixture over hot cheesecake and return to oven. (NOTE ** - I only ended up using about 3/4 of the topping as my cheesecake rose so high I was worried about the topping just running right off. We ate the rest of the topping as chip dip so it didn't go to waste!) Bake 10 more minutes.
Turn off oven, crack open door and let cheesecakes cool in the oven until completely cool.
 
 
Run a knife along the side of the pan (or pans) to help loosen the cheesecake. Remove outer ring.
Place on serving platter.
Garnish with tomato, onions, and shredded cheese. (Other options would be black olives, chopped avocado, fresh cilantro, salsa)
 
 
We really enjoyed this served cold/room temp but you can also serve this warm.
We had it with tortilla chips but crackers would work in a pinch too.
Here is the birthday girl enjoying her treat.
 
 
Aaaaand...just for good measure...another photo of the cheesecake in case you have already forgotten how delicious it looked.
 
 
Be sure to visit Adorned From Above and Hungry Little Girl and Blissful and Domestic for some great links.
 

16 comments:

  1. Super yummy!!! Much better then a cover it in chocolate cheese cake!!! Thanks again for making me feel extra special!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are special :) but we will have to agree to disagree about the chocolate :P

      Delete
  2. oMG. Thia looks wonderful. Great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  3. And look at that i cannot spell either

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's okay cheesecake makes me forget how to spell too :)

      Delete
  4. Looks amazing. Im going to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have never heard of a savory cheese cake, that is just crazy! Its sort of like chocolate covered bacon, it sounds weird but it probably tastes great!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have never tried a savory cheesecake before, but it looks really yummy! Thanks so much for sharing at Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop.
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
    Bethany @ Whistle and Ivy

    ReplyDelete
  7. I never had savory cheesecake - I found a new love I think! This sounds and looks so incredibly delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this at Wednesday Extravaganza - hope to see you there again next week - and don't forget the voting is today!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks so good, I want to make it for a Mexican party, do you think you can make it a day ahead? Thanks,
    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am most interested in trying this recipe though I have some questions. What is jalapeno cheddar dip? Do you have a recipe for it? Is it a commercial product? If so, where do you find it in the grocery store? And do you have a recommended brand?
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Jalapeno cheddar dip is a store bought sour cream-chip dip. Here is a look at the one we use - http://www.heluvagood.com/products/proddetail.aspx?id=862 Hope that helps :) (It is is in the refrigerated dip section of the grocery store)

      Delete
  10. After baking, can it be frozen?

    ReplyDelete
  11. What about taco beef?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure what you are asking? You can definitely add whichever savory toppings you like after baking. So, taco beef could be added on top if you like.

      Delete