Gouda Shrimp & Crab Cheesecake

Hey Mom what is for dinner?

Once you get your head around the fact that CHEESECAKE can be made with ANY type of cheese and cheese combinations, now I am going to show you it can also be a SAVORY dinner treat! You can have cheesecake as appetizers, for dinner or even breakfast. One slice of this tasty treat is only 283 calories (calculated without crackers): 24gfat (11g saturated fat), 137mg cholesterol, 411mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate (1gsugars, 0 fiber), 12g protein. Made with two of my favorite cheeses, Parmesan Cheese and Gouda with Creole spices it is supper good. Gouda Cheese is a mild, yellow cheese made from cow’s milk. It is one of the most popular cheeses world wide. The name is used today as a general term for numerous similar cheeses produced in the traditional Dutch manner.  Today“Gouda” is not a PDO – DOP (protected designation of origin with a specific area of production). The Gouda cheese name refers more to the style of cheese making than the actual cheese, as Gouda cheeses can vary widely depending on age and where it is made. For this reason, the name “Gouda” isn’t protected or meant to define only the cheese coming from Gouda. If you want the real deal, look for “Noord-HollandseGouda”, as this title is protected and can only represent true Dutch Gouda made with Dutch Holstein cows milk.

So Gouda type cheeses are made all over the world. How is Gouda made? When cultured milk curdles, some of the liquid whey is removed and replaced with warm water, which is then drained. This is known as “washing the curds”, and it helps to remove extra lactose, therefore preventing some of the lactic acid formation. The curds are then pressed into round molds and are plopped into a brine (salt water) bath. The cheese is then set out to dry, coated in wax and aged for anywhere from one month to over six years. And if you’re trying to be a real cheese connoisseur, you’re going to have to pronounce it right. While in America we pronounce it “g-OOO-dah”, it’s actually pronounced “(g)h-OW-da”. I’ve noticed that the common classification of cheese in the grocery is either “jong” (young) or “oud” (old). Digging a bit deeper, the Dutch actually classify their cheeses into six categories based on age:

• Young or New: aged 4 weeks
• Young Matured: 8 to 10 weeks
• Matured: 16 to 18 weeks
• Extra Matured: 7 to 8 months
• Old or Fully Matured: 10 to 12 months
• Very Old or Very Aged: over 12 months

The younger Gouda cheeses will have a more mild, soft, and almost sweet taste and texture.They’re best on sandwiches or crackers. The older Gouda cheeses acquire more complex notes and layers of flavors, ranging from caramel to pineapple. They also become harder, stronger, and darker. The deep flavor of the older Gouda makes it great for cooking. I have paired an American Gouda with an American parmesan, shrimp and crab meat for this interesting cheesecake.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped chives
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

CHEESECAKE:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped chives
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 pound peeled and deveined cooked shrimp, chopped
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) lump crabmeat, drained
• 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese

SAUCE:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• Assorted crackers

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and chives; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of a greased 9-in. spring form pan. Place pan on a baking sheet.
• For cheesecake, in a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add red pepper, onion and carrot; cook and stir until tender. Stir in seasonings. Cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Fold in vegetable mixture, shrimp, crab and Gouda cheese. Pour over crust.
• Bake 60-65 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled.
• In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, mustard and Creole seasoning. Remove rim from spring form pan. Serve cheesecake with sauce and crackers.
• Cover top of cheesecake with grated parmesan, chopped chives and drizzle with sauce.

Note

The following spices may be substituted for 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning: 1/4 teaspoon each salt, garlic powder and paprika; and a pinch each of dried thyme, ground cumin and cayenne pepper.

Manchego Cheese Meets Cheesecake

Manchego Cheese Meets Cheesecake

Manchego is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the manchega breed. Official DOP (Protected Denomination of Origin) manchego cheese is to be aged for between 60 days and two years. Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, and often contains small, unevenly distributed air pockets.

Protein content: 4.5% min

Fat content: 6.5% min

Country of origin: Spain

Source of milk: Sheep

Other names: Queso manchego

Texture: Firm and compact

Characterized by a mildly gamy (think lamb choppy) flavor and a hazelnutty sweetness, Manchego is everywhere. It’s arguably Spain’s most well-known cheese, made in La Mancha with the whole (full-fat) milk of Manchega sheep. Younger versions are aged for about 3 months, but you can find wheels aged for 9 months or longer, at which point they become drier and punchy, with a longer, more resilient finish. You’ll find examples that are bland and innocuous, but when you’ve happened to find a great producer, you’ll taste only round, meaty flavors and a distinct, creamy bite. Another traditional way of aging the cheese is in olive oil, which produces a rindless, super-dense end product.

You’ll see Manchego made with pasteurized or raw milk, it’s hard to judge the cheese solely on whether or not it’s a pasteurized version or raw. It’s easy to spot Manchego from afar because of its rind. It’s inedible and waxy with a cross-hatched, herringbone pattern that it gets after being drained and molded in a patterned basket.

Traditionally, it’s served with membrillo (Quince paste) and marcona almonds, or maybe some Serrano ham. A glass of sherry is an obvious choice to spotlight its nutty notes, or some Crianza Rioja wouldn’t hurt, either. But don’t fear straying from Spanish territory. Manchego, with its fullness and fatty backbone, is a versatile pair for many red wines and fuller bodied whites. Since it’s made with 100% sheep milk, it will be higher in fat, and can actually ooze out its butterfat as it comes to room temperature. This is the reason that a wedge may look shiny or on a cheese plate.

More and more, we’ve been seeing it used in cooking, with suggestions for its incorporation into mac & cheese, sandwiches and NOW Cheesecake. Manchego makes an excellent melter and works wonders with all types of egg dishes.

Here is our family recipe for Cheesecake!

Cheesecake

• 1 Cup Manchego cheese cut into cubes
• 2 ounces of water
• 1 cup cream cheese
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons flour
• 2 medium eggs
• 3 oz sour cream

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust

• 6 oz butter
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Blackberry Puree

• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon vodka

Instructions Graham Cracker Crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a stand mixer cream butter, sugar and honey
3. In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients.
4. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat until smooth
5. Cover bottom of cake rings with crumbs and bake 5 minutes.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes

Instructions Cheesecake

7. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
8. Blend Manchego cheese and water in blender until smooth
9. In separate bowl blend combine flour and eggs add to cheese
10. Add sour cream to cheese and blend until smooth
11. Pour into ring molds and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Instructions Berry Topping

12. Marinate berries, sugar and vodka overnight.
13. Heat mixture in small pan and cook to reduce slightly.
14. Place Cheesecake on serving dish add a spoon of berries.

Cheesecake…Basil…..Parmesan what do these have in common you ask?

A savory holiday appetizer that is light, airy, creamy and slightly salty with just the right amount of either sweet or tang! These will be the hit of the season.  As the wife of a chef and cheese affineur there is no shortage of different cheeses to experiment with. Then when the “snowbirds” hit the Florida town of Vero Beach there is no shortage of test tasters at the local farmers market Saturday mornings. We will be back at the market December 1^st .

Just think a strawberry (it is almost time for local Florida strawberries) champagne mojito, the Christmas tree ready for decorations and these tasty little treats for the evening.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups cracker crumbs
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg white
• 16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl combine cracker crumbs, butter, egg white until combined.
3. Press ½ tablespoon of the crumb mixture into each well of a mini cheesecake pan.
4. Bake crust in oven for 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.
5. Turn oven down to 300 degrees.
6. Add the cream cheese, parmesan, basil, sugar, eggs and salt to blender. Puree until smooth.
7. Fill each well of the pan ½ way with mixture.
8. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until edges are dry but center is still a little jiggly. Refrigerate overnight.

Toppings

For a sweet topping chop fresh strawberries sprinkle with sugar and garnish the top of each cheesecake.

For a tangy topping top each cheesecake with tomato jam. This is available at most farmers markets or gourmet food stores.