Recipes with Helen Austin Mexican Cheesecake |
© 2006 Helen Austin. All rights reserved.
One 10-ounce package Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded (see No. 1 above)
1 cup (8 ounces) cottage cheese
Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese (or Neufchatel), softened
4 eggs
One 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
16 ounces sour cream (optional for topping)
1-2 tablespoons juice from a jar of jalapeno peppers (optional for topping)
Cayenne pepper, chopped green onions, green or black olive slices, etc. (optional for garnish)
Shred cheese in food processor (use grater attachment if you have one). Remove to a separate
bowl, add cottage cheese to food processor and process until smooth. Combine with cream cheese
in electric mixer and mix until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Combine reserved shredded cheese and green chiles with cream cheese mixture. Pour into 8-or
9-inch springform pan and bake in preheated 325-degree oven one hour. (I set the pan on a
baking sheet for convenience and in case of leaks.)
If using topping, combine sour cream with jalapeno pepper juice and spread over cheesecake.
Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and carefully loosen rim of pan. (DON'T PANIC if cheesecake cracks at edges.
You can smooth it out after it cools!) Allow cheesecake to cool thoroughly, then remove rim of pan
and refrigerate.
Remove cheesecake from refrigerator about an hour before serving time and place on serving
plate WITHOUT REMOVING FROM BASE. Garnish as desired. Spread on snack crackers to serve.
1 cup (8 ounces) cottage cheese
Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese (or Neufchatel), softened
4 eggs
One 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
16 ounces sour cream (optional for topping)
1-2 tablespoons juice from a jar of jalapeno peppers (optional for topping)
Cayenne pepper, chopped green onions, green or black olive slices, etc. (optional for garnish)
Shred cheese in food processor (use grater attachment if you have one). Remove to a separate
bowl, add cottage cheese to food processor and process until smooth. Combine with cream cheese
in electric mixer and mix until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Combine reserved shredded cheese and green chiles with cream cheese mixture. Pour into 8-or
9-inch springform pan and bake in preheated 325-degree oven one hour. (I set the pan on a
baking sheet for convenience and in case of leaks.)
If using topping, combine sour cream with jalapeno pepper juice and spread over cheesecake.
Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and carefully loosen rim of pan. (DON'T PANIC if cheesecake cracks at edges.
You can smooth it out after it cools!) Allow cheesecake to cool thoroughly, then remove rim of pan
and refrigerate.
Remove cheesecake from refrigerator about an hour before serving time and place on serving
plate WITHOUT REMOVING FROM BASE. Garnish as desired. Spread on snack crackers to serve.
The merry month of May is almost here, and you know what's in the forecast. If you have anything
of a reputation for entertaining, you can count on being asked to help host a bridal shower,
graduation party, even a small wedding reception!
The days when you could get away with little one-bite sandwiches and pastel mints for such
occasions are long gone. Party food has morphed into something much more substantial, like
savory cheesecakes.
Cheesecake: It's not just for dessert any more. I've made cheesecakes with smoked salmon and
with blue cheese. But Mexican Cheesecake is by far the most popular I've ever offered.
Some years ago, I shared this recipe with a friend who took it to a potluck. After that, she almost
couldn't leave home without it. It seems every invitation she received included "her" Mexican
Cheesecake. I think she memorized the recipe.
I haven't made this cheesecake nearly as often as my friend, but I do have some tips for success to
share with you.
1) Don't take the shortcut of buying packaged, pre-shredded cheese. It contains a stabilizer which
resists being incorporated with other ingredients. Trust me; I've learned this the hard way.
2) DO NOT USE NONFAT DAIRY PRODUCTS IN THIS RECIPE. Like pre-shredded cheese, they
resist incorporation. REDUCED FAT PRODUCTS ARE FINE. In fact, the "light" Neufchatel cream
cheese is preferable to regular cream cheese, because it doesn't have to sit out of the refrigerator
as long to soften.
3) If you don't own a springform pan, you can get a good one at an off-price store (mine came from
T.J. Maxx).
of a reputation for entertaining, you can count on being asked to help host a bridal shower,
graduation party, even a small wedding reception!
The days when you could get away with little one-bite sandwiches and pastel mints for such
occasions are long gone. Party food has morphed into something much more substantial, like
savory cheesecakes.
Cheesecake: It's not just for dessert any more. I've made cheesecakes with smoked salmon and
with blue cheese. But Mexican Cheesecake is by far the most popular I've ever offered.
Some years ago, I shared this recipe with a friend who took it to a potluck. After that, she almost
couldn't leave home without it. It seems every invitation she received included "her" Mexican
Cheesecake. I think she memorized the recipe.
I haven't made this cheesecake nearly as often as my friend, but I do have some tips for success to
share with you.
1) Don't take the shortcut of buying packaged, pre-shredded cheese. It contains a stabilizer which
resists being incorporated with other ingredients. Trust me; I've learned this the hard way.
2) DO NOT USE NONFAT DAIRY PRODUCTS IN THIS RECIPE. Like pre-shredded cheese, they
resist incorporation. REDUCED FAT PRODUCTS ARE FINE. In fact, the "light" Neufchatel cream
cheese is preferable to regular cream cheese, because it doesn't have to sit out of the refrigerator
as long to soften.
3) If you don't own a springform pan, you can get a good one at an off-price store (mine came from
T.J. Maxx).
| Mexican Cheesecake |
Helen Austin was food editor at the Arkansas Democrat for six years and has since been a
contributor to Active Years and the Arkansas Times. She is also writing for Arkansas Newsixty, a
quarterly publication of the Arkansas Times. Having no formal education in either journalism or
home economics, she credits any expertise in these fields to a lifelong interest in food and writing.
Helen's food philosophy consists of getting the best, freshest ingredients available, then cooking
them in the simplest manner possible. She and her husband, Jerry, prepare most of their meals at
home.
contributor to Active Years and the Arkansas Times. She is also writing for Arkansas Newsixty, a
quarterly publication of the Arkansas Times. Having no formal education in either journalism or
home economics, she credits any expertise in these fields to a lifelong interest in food and writing.
Helen's food philosophy consists of getting the best, freshest ingredients available, then cooking
them in the simplest manner possible. She and her husband, Jerry, prepare most of their meals at
home.
