Salmon Cheesecake

Anyone who knows me knows that I loved living and working in Ithaca,NY. If you ask me why I provide these reasons: Finger Lakes wine, a great live music scene, 19 spectacular libraries at Cornell University, the rich and colorful people and Wegmans grocery store. Seriously, a grocery store. I was known for spending Sundays, most 1/2 the day at the store, I would arrive mid morning for coffee and read the local paper, NY Times and Wall Street Journal cover to cover, along the way I'd have great conversations with friends who came in to shop, then proceed to order lunch as I would have sat there long enough to witness the switch from morning to noon hour. Comical when I think about it, but everyone (store employees and friends) knew my routine and would even remark if I happened to miss a Sunday or arrive off schedule. Funny how one's quirkiness and eccentric nature touches the lives of others. Needless to say, no one was surprised when my graduation party from graduate school was held at the grocery store in its cooking school. I took as many classes at the "Wegmans School of Culinary Arts" that I possibly could afford to take [I still have all my red folders with recipes]. Cindy Groman was one of my fav instructors and conducted a class October 30,1999 called "gifts from the kitchen." This class was filled with wonderful recipes for the holidays: snack foods, apps, desserts and Salmon Cheesecake. Simply stated, Salmon Cheesecake is a crowd pleaser and very simple to make.

1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
3 Tbs melted butter
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 lb can salmon, drained and flaked
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbs grated onion
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
fresh dill, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Mix crackers, butter and press into 9 inch sprinform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temp to 325. Beat the cream cheese, eggs and 1/4 cup sour cream. Add the salmon, lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper. Mix well and pour in the crust. Bake for 45- 50 minutes until set in the middle. Remove from the oven, loosen the sides of the pan with a sharp knife and cool. Combine the 1/2 cup sour cream and the mayo and spread on the cooked cake. Garnish with fresh dill and serve with crackers.