Laurie Hughes,
Ciao! Magazine
This appetizer recipe makes a whole cheesecake, which can be frozen and saved for future parties.
Ingredients
Crust
1 Tbsp butter, melted, divided
1/4 cup rye cracker crumbs
1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano
Filling
4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 eggs
6 cups grated parmigiano-reggiano
1/2 cup shredded gruyère
1/3 cup snipped fresh chives
1/4 tsp cracked white peppercorns
Pears, figs or grapes, to serve
Crackers, to serve
Method
Crust
1. Using 1/2 Tbsp of the melted butter, grease 9″ springform pan.
2. In a bowl, combine rye cracker crumbs with parmigiano-reggiano.
3. Sprinkle 3 Tbsp of crumb mixture into the pan, lightly coating the sides.
4. Stir remaining melted butter into remaining crumb mixture. Set aside.
Filling
1. Preheat oven to 300˚F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and whipping cream until smooth.
3. Add eggs and continue beating until combined.
4. Stir in parmigiano-reggiano, gruyère, chives and peppercorns until smooth.
5. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Smooth out top.
6. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over filling.
7. Place filled pan on a cookie sheet to bake. Bake for 1 3/4 hours.
8. Cool pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the sides and cool 30 minutes more. Serve in wedges with fruit and crackers.
Yield 25 servings