SAN DIEGO — Did you know that cheesecake does not always have to be sweet? Chef George Geary stopped by to show that it is possible to make a savory cheesecake! He also gives the recipe to make his famous cheesecake that he made for the cast and crew on the set of The Golden Girls.
Golden Girls Cheesecake
Makes: One 10-inch Cheesecake
Crust
- 1/3 pound graham crackers, crushed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
In a bowl mix the above and press into a cheesecake pan, and freeze.
Filling
- 2 lbs cream cheese, softened (Philly)
- 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1. Adjust the rack to the center, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In the mixer, place cream cheese and sugar, blending until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, while mixing. Add lemon juice and vanilla, and blend well.
3. Pour batter into frozen cheesecake bottom, smoothing it out to touch sides. Bake it until the top starts to pull away from sides and still look a bit loose in center, about 35-40 minutes. It will look like it is puffed up. Take it out of the oven (do not turn the oven off) and set it on a rack 10 minutes. (This will cause cake to sink slightly, which is normal,)
Topping
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour it into center of the cheesecake, after 10 minutes. Place cheesecake back into oven for 5 minutes only; cool for 1 hour prior to serving. Top with fresh berries.
Tri-Berry Sauce
Yield: 8 servings
- 1 basket Strawberries, sliced
- 1 basket Raspberries, cut in half
- 1 basket Blackberries, cut in half
- 1/2 cup superfine sugar
- 1 cup vintage port wine
1. In a bowl, place all of the ingredients to macerate for 1 hour.
2. Serve at room temperature.
Mini Lemon Curd Cheesecakes
Yield: 36 mini-cheesecakes
325°F
Crust
- 1/3 pound graham crackers, crushed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
In a bowl mix the above and press 1/2 tsp into each cavity of the mini-muffin tins, and freeze.
Filling
- 1 lb cream cheese, softened (Philly)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Lemon Curd
1. Adjust the rack to the center, and preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. In the mixer, place the cream cheese and sugar, blending until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, while mixing. Add the lemon juice and vanilla, and blend well.
3. Spoon the batter into the frozen cheesecake bottom. Bake it until the top lightly brown, about 18-22 minutes. Cool before taking out of tins and topping with prepared Lemon Curd
Ice Cream Cone Cheesecakes
Preheat oven to 325°F
One 12-cup muffin tin.
Makes 12
Filling
- 1-1/2 lbs cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Fill muffin tin with flat-bottomed ice cream cones. In a large mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar until very smooth, for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in vanilla and chocolate chunks. Fill cones three-quarters full of cheesecake batter. Bake in preheated oven until top is light brown and slightly cracked, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before decorating.
Decoration: Pipe large rosettes of Classic Whipped Cream Topping on top of each cone. Decorate with sprinkles.
Savory Tomato Herb Cheesecake
350°F
Yield: One 6-inch cheese
- 4 ozs crackers, crushed
- 2 tsp butter, melted
- 16 ozs cream cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dill. fresh1 tsp onion flakes
- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1. In a cheesecake pan, place the crackers that have been coated with the butter. Press into the bottom and place into the freezer until the batter is completed.
2. In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, place the cream cheese and blend until smooth, add egg, lemon juice, salt, dill and onion flakes. Fold in the tomato.
3. Pour into the prepared cheesecake pan. Place into the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until set.
4. Serve warm or cold with crackers.