Tuesday, April 13, 2010

April Showers Bring May Flowers


My sister-in-law and I hosted a bridal shower for our sweet sister, and we had a great time putting on a springtime shower. I used a lot of recipes from previous showers, so I'll spare you all the details. I will, however, share one of the newer recipes that I used that has been well-liked.
Savory Ham Cheesecake
3 cups oyster crackers, crushed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups finely chopped fully cooked ham
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup snipped chives
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Assorted crackers

In a bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and butter. Set aside 1/4 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture onto the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined (mixture will be thick). Add the ham, Swiss cheese, chives, basil, salt and pepper; beat just until combined. Pour into crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes or until filling is almost set. Turn oven off. Leave cheesecake in oven with door ajar for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Serve chilled or at room temperature with crackers. Yield: 24-30 servings.