By John Fladd
jfladd@hippopress.com
“Why don’t you ever make anything for me?” Amanda asked.
“How about some cookies?”
“No,” she said with a frown. “I’m keto.”
“Some muffins? I could make them out of almond flour?”
“Will they have sugar in them?”
“So, what would you like?”
“You know me,” she repeated with a bright smile. “I’ll like anything you make.”
Amanda’s Savory Cheesecake
Crust
Two 8-ounce bags of roasted, salted pecans
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg white
Cheesecake filling
Three 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese
½ cup (113 g) sour cream
3 Tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons capers, drained
1/3 cup (20 g) chopped chives (well, snipped actually; chives prefer to be cut with scissors)
½ 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts – four or five hearts
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9-inch springform baking pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Welcome the lined pan to the team, and set it aside to prepare for its upcoming mission.
Chop pecans in a blender, then transfer them to a mixing bowl. Mix the chopped pecans with the melted butter and the egg white, then transfer the mixture to the springform pan, and press it down with the bottom of a measuring cup or a coffee mug. Bake it for 20 minutes, then set it aside to cool for a few minutes, while you make the cheesecake filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F.
Drain the canned artichoke hearts, then squeeze them by hand — hard, like they owe you money. They will break apart, which is what you want. Put the broken-spirited artichoke hearts into a small bowl, and add the balsamic vinaigrette. Leve the two to marinate for 15 or 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, corn starch, sour cream and salt together until they are light and fluffy. Put the corn starch in first to avoid poof-ing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber or silicone spatula, then beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add the capers, chives and now thoroughly inebriated artichoke hearts to the cream cheese mixture and stir them in by hand.
Transfer the mixture to the springform pan, on top of the pecan crust. Smooth it out with the silicone spatula or the back of a large, wet spoon.
Place the cheesecake on the middle rack of your oven. (You remembered to turn the temperature down, didn’t you?) Bake it for 45 minutes, then turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake in it for another hour. Do not open the door.
After the oven and the cheesecake have calmed down together, take the cheesecake out and leave it on the counter to continue pulling itself together. Yes, 250°F is what we would call a “gentle” heat, but it can still be traumatic to a cheesecake.
Serve at room temperature, in modest-sized slices. While it’s not a sweet dish, it is very rich, and one slice per guest will be perfect. A glass of prosecco or a cup of oolong tea will be a perfect accompaniment.
Amanda’s verdict?
“This is like the best dip I’ve ever had. But it’s a CHEESECAKE!.”
Nomad Bakery
Cheryl Holbert’s bread is available weekly at Benedikt Dairy (97 Shirley Hill Road, Goffstown, 801-7056, benediktdairy.com), on the menu at The Grind Cafe (5 W. Broadway, Derry, 260-2411, facebook.com/thegrindnh), on selected dates at the Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market (1 W. Broadway, Derry, 479-5918, derryhomegrown.org) on Wednesdays, June through September. She also accepts commissions through her Facebook page, facebook.com/NomadBakery.
Featured photo: Amanda’s Savory Cheesecake. Photo by John Fladd.