Recipe: Peppered Shrimp Cheesecake Spread

PEPPERED SHRIMP CHEESECAKE SPREAD

1 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 packages (8-ounce each) soft cream cheese
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream, divided
2 packages (3-ounce each) goat or feta cheese
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried, ground)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried leaves)
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

Combine bread crumbs and butter and press into bottoms of four 4-inch spring-form pans.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sour cream and goat cheese until smooth. Blend eggs in one at a time. Stir in oregano, thyme and peppers, pour mixture into pans.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes. Cool, then cover and chill.

When ready to serve chop all but 12 shrimp. Mix chopped shrimp with remaining sour cream and top cakes; remove from pans, garnish with remaining shrimp.

Serve with cut vegetables and hard bread or crackers.

Yield: 15-18 appetizers
Source: Florida Department of Agriculture