Roasted Garlic Cheesecake (The Appetizer) from Ray's Boathouse, Seattle
Carol,
the Mom of this Mom and Pop winery, grew up in the Seattle area. On the
waterfront just north of downtown Seattle is Ray's Boathouse. It found
its stride in the 1980's when it converted from a café to a fine
restaurant. They use local ingredients, make great food. They are a
must stop when we visit relatives in Seattle.
Now, being
from Seattle means Carol is not Italian, she is Scandinavian. Garlic
was not a common ingredient in her parents' household. We learn as we
get older. Roasted garlic has a sweetness that sautéed garlic does not.
Cheesecake we think is sweet like we all are, but this is not.
This is just really good on crackers as a starter. It is fun to
surprise friends with this. Try this with Petit Verdot and get ready
for some smiles. Oh, yes, this is to be consumed by the whole group.
The recipe serves 6.
For the Roasted Garlic Puree
1 cup peeled garlic cloves
1 TB olive oil
1 TB water
Preheat
oven to 400 degrees. Trim off the stem ends of the garlic cloves. In an
ovenproof bowl, toss with olive oil and water to coat. Cover with
aluminum foil and bake until garlic is soft and golden brown, about 45
minutes. Remove from oven and mash with a fork. Cool. This can be made
a day in advance and refrigerated.
For the Cheesecake
8
ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup flour
2
large eggs
1 tsp lemon
pepper
1/2 cup roasted garlic puree
2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup heavy
cream
1/2 tsp kosher
salt
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream
cheese until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time and mix
until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add roasted garlic puree,
heavy cream, flour, lemon pepper, thyme and salt, and mix well.
Spray
six 4 ounce foil cups generously with vegetable spray. Fill cups 3/4 full
with mixture and tap the bottoms on the counter to level tops. Place
the foil cups in a baking pan and fill the pan with hot water halfway
up the sides of the cups. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for
20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until
a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cups from
water bath and cool.
Turn foil cups upside down on a serving
plate and remove cups. Rays serves this with Sun-dried Tomato Kalamata
Olive Relish which along with the above recipe is also in their
cookbook, Ray's Boathouse, Seafood Secrets of the Pacific
Northwest. We like this with our Muffaletto also. Drink the Petit Verdot alongside.