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.

Sweet Potato Butter Cheesecake

If you have never savored sweet potato butter then you are missing out on one of life's simplest but tastiest treasures. I've actually tried two local versions of this same great product (Southern Gardens/Carolina Cherry Co in Yemasee and Lowcountry Produce in Lobeco) and enjoyed both tremendously. This is a must for Thanksgiving celebrations either solo or transformed into another scrumptious delight (such as the cheesecake below).

Guilt-Free Sweet Potato Cheesecake (Lowcountry Produce)

You will need an 8-by-3-inch springform pan and a larger pan to use for a water bath. This cheesecake is best made a day in advance to chill properly.

1 cup Lowcountry Produce Sweet Potato Butter 2 pounds (4, 8-ounce packages) low-fat cream cheese, completely softened and at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 teaspoons ground ginger 1 1/2 cups Splenda 4 extra large eggs 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons butter

FOR THE CRUST

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease an 8-by-3-inch springform pan. Combine butter, graham cracker crumbs and 1 teaspoon ginger into a microwaveable container. Heat for 45 seconds in the microwave. Press mixture uniformly into the bottom of springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool.

FOR THE FILLING

Cream softened cream cheese in mixer. Add Splenda very slowly while you are smoothing your cream cheese. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of ginger, vanilla, Lowcountry Produce Sweet Potato Butter and four eggs, one at a time. As soon as the last egg is blended, turn off the mixer. Using a spatula, pour the mixture into the pan. Place springform pan into the larger pan. Add water to larger pan to create water bath. Bake for 2 hours, or until it is an even golden brown with small cracks forming.

Variation: For just a little guilt, add 7 ounces of goat cheese and 2 tablespoons of bourbon to the cheesecake mixture.

From Lowcountry Produce


Read more: http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/11/03/1429477/local-ingredients-help-lowcountry.html#ixzz14EIhKOEu