Savory Leek & Dried Tomato Cheesecake in a Rye Crust

I'm on a rye kick (I think the leeks go without saying). Most of the bread I eat is now rye, and the more I have it the more I like it. It works quite well for pastry, although I can't see it going with everything. Savory applications are probably the best, and it worked very well with this cheesecake.

I made one large cheesecake and we ate it as our main course, but I can see this doing very well made into muffin-sized mini cheesecakes and used as an appetizer or as part of a holiday buffet. I got some mascarpone on half price which is what inspired me to make this, but I have to say that while it was delicious it was insanely rich. I think next time I would use ricotta. A combination of the 2 might be good, but then you would have leftovers of each. Either way a good crunchy green salad is the perfect thing to have with this, to balance out all the rich cheese and buttery rye crust.

6 to 16 servings
2 hours 30 minutes - 1 hour 15 minutes prep time

Make the Crust:
1 1/2 cups whole (dark) rye flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
6 or 7 tablespoons ice-cold water

Measure the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the salt and baking powder. Grate in the butter. I drop the butter into the flour to coat it before I start, and repeat every time I get about a quarter of it grated. Stir the grated butter gently into the flour each time. Once all the butter is in, cut it in some more with a pastry cutter until it is in small pea-sized bits.

Add about 5 tablespoons of the water and stir it in with a fork. Add a little more water as needed until you can work the mixture into a smooth, fairly dry dough. Try not to add too much water, in other words. Once the mixture is in a smooth ball, put it back in the bowl and cover it with a cloth. Let it rest for about 20 minutes.

Line the bottom of a 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan (don't put it into the ring yet). Let it be a little thicker in the inch around the outside. Then, put on the ring and close the clip. Press the extra dough around the edges up the sides a little, about half an inch or so. Make sure the dough is even, then prick it all over with a fork. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes at 375°F until the dough is dry and slightly puffed.

This can be done in advance. If you are continuing right away, reduce the oven to 325°F.

Make the Filling & Bake the Cheesecake:
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
3 large leeks (3 cups when sliced)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
a few grates of nutmeg
2 large eggs
475 grams (1 tub) mascarpone OR ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons rich milk, light cream, buttermilk, OR yogurt
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Put the dried tomatoes into a sturdy bowl and cover them with boiling water. Cover the bowl and let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes, then drain them well. Chop them up if they are too large - they should be about 1/2" in any direction at most.

Trim the leeks, discarding the roots and dark green parts of the leaves. Cut each leek in half lengthwise, then in short slices across. Put them in a strainer and rinse them thoroughly. Drain well.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the well-drained leeks and cook them for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. They should soften up quite a lot, but not be permitted to get brown.

Heat the oven to 325°F, if it is not there already. 

Mix the leeks and tomatoes in a mixing bowl. When they are cool enough that they will not cook them, break in the eggs and mix well. Season with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the soft cheese  about 1/3 at a time, and mix it in well. Mix in the cream (or whatever) and the grated Parmesan.

Scrape the mixture 0nto the baked crust. Spread it out evenly. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 10 or 15 minutes until lightly browned and firm in the middle. Let it cool. Serve barely warm or at room temperature. If made in advance and refrigerated, it should be brought back to room temperature before serving.




Last year at this time I made Matcha-White Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Posted in: Ontario Food