Recipe: Savory Herbed Cheesecake

SAVORY HERBED CHEESECAKE
IS AN EXCITING TWIST ON AN OLD FAVORITE
Source: The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide: Over 150 Recipes with Instructions on How to Buy, Store, and Serve All Your Favorite Cheeses by Paula Lambert (Simon & Schuster)
Servings: 12

Savory cheesecakes can be served at cocktail buffets, as an appetizer, or even as the entr e for a light lunch or supper. tells you how to bake an elegant cheesecake with a crisp, crunchy, and flavorful Parmigiano-and-rosemary crust. This creamy cheesecake is accented with crunchy red bell peppers and carrots.

CRUST:
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (1 cup)
1 cup dried bread crumbs
teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
5 1/2 tablespoons (11/3 cup) unsalted butter, melted
FILLING:
10 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds (3 cups) cream cheese, softened
1 cup Creme fraiche or sour cream
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh chervil
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1/3 cup finely diced black pepper to taste
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
additional herbs and vegetables, for decoration

FOR THE CRUST:
Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

FOR THE FILLING:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the unpeeled cloves of garlic in a small ramekin or ovenproof dish and drizzle with the olive oil.

Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, or until soft when tested with the tip of a knife. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins and mash or chop the garlic to a puree. Combine the garlic puree, cream cheese, cr me fraiche, whole eggs, flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for two minutes.

Add the parsley, chervil, basil, oregano, and sage and process for one minute. Pour the cream cheese mixture into a large bowl.

Stir in the red pepper and carrot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Blend a spoonful of egg whites into the cream cheese mixture, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Place the cheesecake in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes. When done, the cake will have risen and the center will be almost set.

Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to remain in the oven for one hour longer, without opening the door. Don't worry if the cake is cracked. Remove the cheesecake and set it on a rack to cool for 1 1/2 hours,

Remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Loosen the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan, using a knife, and slide it onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator at least two hours before serving and allow it to come to room temperature.

If desired, decorate the top of the cheesecake using herbs and/or vegetables.

The cheesecake is lovely served whole for a cocktail buffet party, but it can also be cut into wedges and served on individual plates.