Savory Cheesecake

The tables were filled with delights carefully selected to go with the

February Port Tasting event.

This Chapter of The American Wine Society meets monthly to sample and learn about wines.

This night, we were to learn about Ports.

Rich ports go well with chocolates and cigars; they are expensive

and have no shelf life is all I knew.

Last night we got a rare sampling of Vintage Ports.

To enrich our experience visually and please our palates,

on each table was a large tray of homemade chocolate candy and fabulous little cakes.

We had berries, plums, apples, cherries and big apples to cut and share. Also was the large baskets of assorted breads...even a chocolate bread.

Among those carefully selected cheeses was a homemade delight called

"Cheesecake" however wasn't sweet. Think of a cheesecake without sugar...so, so good on either a cracker or thinly sliced baguette bread.
A wonderful evening to say the least.
iJune

To share the recipe..

Savory Cheesecake
1 cup finely crushed thin wheat crackers
3 T. butter, melted
12 oz. cream cheese (can use reduced fat)
16 oz. yogurt* (can use reduced fat)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
¼ t. dried basil
1/8 t. dried rosemary, crushed
8 oz (about 2 cups) shredded swiss cheese*
*I used Comte; the deeper and nuttier the cheese variety, the more flavorful the baked cheesecake will be. I also used sour cream instead of the yogurt that the recipe called for.
1. Combine crushed crackers and butter; press onto bottom of 9" springform.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add next 5 ingred.; beat on low speed until blended. (If using reduced fat ingredients, be careful to beat only until blended, or it will thin out the mixture.)
3. Stir in shredded cheese.
4. Pour into prepared crust and place pan on baking sheet.
5. Bake at 350 for 40 – 50 minutes or until center is almost set. ( I found that it took longer; I baked it until the top was puffed; makes it a little more dense after it cools.)
6. Cool on rack for 10 min; run knife around edge of pan to loosen sides.
7. Cool, then refrigerate overnight.
8. Remove sides of pan and serve.