So last week I went looking for an out of the box recipe (which is what I do...all the time, ha.) and I came across a BLT Cheesecake. I have never in my life tried a savory cheesecake. The sweeter sister varation is one of my top 5 fave desserts of all time but the savory kind I have never had to chance to par take in. So I thought why not? So before I go on with this story here's the recipe itself. Stick around after to read the WHOLE review. Trust me, you won't wanna miss this.
Savory BLT Cheesecake
Prep: 35 min. Bake: 45 min. + chilling Yield: 24 Servings
Ingredients:
*3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
*1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
*3 tablespoons butter, melted
FILLING:
*4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
*1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
*1-1/2 cups crumbled cooked bacon
*1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, patted dry and chopped
*1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
*2 green onions, sliced
*1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
*4 eggs, lightly beaten
*Optional toppings: shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes and additional crumbled cooked bacon *Assorted crackers
Directions:
*Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
*In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
*In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and cream until smooth. Beat in the bacon, tomatoes, Gruyere cheese, onions and pepper. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to larger pan.
*Bake at 325° for 45-55 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; loosen edges from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
*Remove rim from pan. Serve cheesecake with toppings and crackers if desired.
Okie, let's start off with the positives of this recipe. It tastes amazing! Truly, but for the amount of work we all had to put in (and it was a group effort) it just wasn't worth it for an Tuesday night dinner. Now on with the story: So we go to make this dish and it turns out we're missing a few things so I drove by my house to pick up what we need. I get back and in the middle of the recipe it's discovered that the pan we're supposed to place the springform pan in doesn't fit so the water can be poured in to help along the cooking process. So, off I go back to my house. When I returned we finally got it in the oven but at this point it was close to 6:45 pm. After baking for 55 minutes we had to let it cool then Ma read the dreaded words..."REFRIDGERATE OVERNIGHT!" dun dun dunnnnn. Seriously??? Now, no one had thought about this part happening since I have made cheesecakes in the past where it didn't require overnight cooling. We sat there stunned. Here we are it's almost 8 pm and we don't have a dinner nor a blog for tonight. So we whipped up something else and decided to save the recipe for Wednesday night. What else could we do? It was a letdown but after trying the cheesecake the next day it was wonderful with crackers and a nice salad. We do want to express that this dish is more of a party side dish but to be made for a "dinner" isn't really what it fits into.
Tid Bits: *Okie, we lightened up this dish. We used fat free cream cheese, turkey bacon, roasted red peppers instead of the sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, and egg beaters instead of real eggs. Feel free to give our way a try if you're like us and are watching your figure.
*PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember this dish does go into the fridge overnight.
Ma's Spot: When Dinah first found this recipe and told me this was her pick for this week I thought is she crazy?? This recipe was was a lot of work but it was worth it. It was delicious. You can pair this with any cracker you want. It would make a nice plate with crackers or fresh fruit. It's a great idea for a party or it's a great make ahead meal for those summer nights when you don't want a heavy meal. This is perfect! So give this one a try, it's a lot of work but it's worth it.
*SNACK CORNER:* It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's pick:
WW Points: 3 (including Hungry Girl cupcakes and 2 tablespoons of icing)
Dinah: Here at Tuesdays with Dinah and Ma we try and listen to our fans. So it was a no brainer when we were asked by a few peeps to try the new Dunkin Hines Frosting Creations. If you're not familiar with the whole idea on this new product let me fill ya in. One tub of vanilla (or white frosting) and you pick your poison. Whichever flavor packet you choose you pour into the container and then you stir which in return makes this new flavor of icing. Not to toot my own horn but I've been doing this kinda thing for years (as I'm sure every other baker in the world has done) but it's hella cool to see Dunkin Hines catch up to our idea. We should get some of the profit. Indeed! Anywho, these were really good! As if they would suck. Pish posh! Give them a try, you won't be disapointed.
Ma: I think this is a great invention. It's easy to do this at home and make up a batch of cupcakes and use the different flavors of frosting to please everyone's tastes. So give it a try but just be careful on the amount of flavoring packet you put into the tube of frosting. It can become over powering.
That's it guys, we'll see you here next week (on time) with Ma's next recipe. Have a great week guys!
Spoons & Spatula's ~Dinah & Ma
