Crab Pesto Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• Preparing the Pecan Crust:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Finely grind pecans in a food processor. Add flour and salt. Mix well. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and cut in butter, working butter into flour with 2 knives until dough is in crumbs the size of small peas. Add ice water and evenly incorporate into the mixture, which should remain fairly crumbly. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Press dough into a lightly greased 9-inch tart pan, starting with the sides and then the bottom. Bake crust for 20 minutes, or until golden.
• Preparing the Filling:
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a skillet, saute onion in butter until translucent. Add crabmeat and cook just until heated through, then remove from heat. Blend cream cheese until smooth in a mixer fitted with a paddle, or by hand using a wooden spoon. Add Creole cream cheese and mix well. Mix in eggs 1 at a time. Gently fold in the crabmeat mixture. Stir in hot sauce and season, to taste, with salt and white pepper. Spoon filling into prepared crust. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
• Preparing the Meuniere Sauce and Garnish:
• Combine lemon, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce in a heavy saucepot. Reduce over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Whisk in heavy whipping cream. Reduce heat to low and slowly blend in butter, 1 cube at a time, adding additional butter only after each cube has been completely incorporated into the sauce. This process is called "mounting the butter." Remove from heat and continue to stir. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Strain through a fine strainer and keep warm.
• Saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until tender and all moisture has cooked off. Excess water from the mushrooms may break your sauce if it isn't cooked off. Stir mushrooms into Meuniere sauce. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saute pan and warm crab fingers over low heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To serve:
• Slice cheesecake and top each piece with warm Meuniere sauce and 3 crab claws.

Steps:

• FOR THE PECAN CRUST: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grind the pecans, flour & salt in a food processor until fine, then transfer to a bowl.
• Add butter, working it into the flour until there are crumbs the size of small peas.
• Toss in the ice water, & using fingers, lift up the dough to incorporate evenly. [The dough will remain fairly crumbly].
• Starting with the sides, & then the bottom, press the dough into a 9" tart pan.
• Bake crust for about 20 minutes, then allow it to cool before filling. Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
• FOR THE FILLING: Cook the onion in a little butter over medium heat until translucent.
• Add crabmeat & cook just until heated through, then remove from heat & set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon, blend the cream cheese until smooth, then add the yogurt & sour cream. After that add the eggs one at a time.
• Fold this cheese mixture into the crabmeat mixture, & season to taste with salt, pepper & hot sauce.
• Pour this mixture into the prepared & cooled crust, then bake for about 30 minutes until set & firm to the touch.
• FOR THE GARNISH: Saute shallots until translucent, then add mushrooms and 'SWEAT' until just cooked through.
• Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce & hot sauce, & cook until the mixture is reduced by 3/4.
• Add heavy cream & cook until reduced by half, then whisk in the butter.
• In a separate saute pan, add crab claw fingers. Salt & pepper to taste, then pour the reduced mixture over the crab claws & keep warm.
• Each slice of cheesecake gets 3 crab claws & 2 tablespoons of the reduced sauce.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. In medium bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press in bottom and 1 inch up sides of ungreased 9-inch springform pan.
• In large bowl, combine cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and horseradish; beat with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add sherry; beat well. Beat mixture at high speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in crabmeat and hot pepper sauce just until combined. Pour into crust-lined pan.
• Bake at 325°F. for 50 to 60 minutes or until filling is set. Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours before serving.
• Just before serving, remove sides of pan; place cheesecake on serving platter. Garnish with bell pepper. Serve immediately, or let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. If desired, serve with assorted crackers.

Steps:

• Butter spring form pan, coat with breadcrumbs--set aside.
• Beat cream cheese, ricotta and Romano cheese with electric mixer.
• Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
• Seperate batter in half--add pesto to one half and sundried tomatoes to the other half.
• Layer in spring pan.
• Sprinkle pignoli nuts on top Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
• Cool in pan.
• Cover and wrap in plastic.
• Refrigerate 8 hours or overnite.
• Slide knife around edge of pan and remove to serve.