Potato Chip Crust Savory Cheesecake #FoodieExtravaganza

This crunchy potato chip crust savory cheesecake makes a great main course for Sunday brunch or a light dinner.  It’s also pretty fabulous cold in a packed lunch the next day, if you are lucky enough to have leftovers.

This month my Foodie Extravaganza group is celebrating potato chips in anticipation of National Potato Chip Day, which is March 14. Our wonderful host Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories encouraged us to make a dish, sweet or savory, that includes potato chips or to make our own homemade potato chips.

I’ve adapted this recipe from a Warm Roquefort Cheesecake created by the great Delia Smith so I’ve kept “cheesecake” in the title, but I must confess that it strikes me more as a quiche than a cheesecake. The texture is light and definitely more on the eggy side. In fact, my husband came through the door after work, as it sat on the wire rack cooling and said, “Ohh, quiche for dinner.” “I know, right?” I had to reply.

Delia, Delia, Delia. Never mind. You are still one of my idols.

Potato Chip Crust Savory Cheesecake

I have made a couple of savory cheesecakes before and loved them. Both were appetizers, the first a Shrimp Cheesecake with Herbs and Spices,  the second a Savory Zucchini Cheesecake, baked in a Bundt pan. That’s why this recipe so appealed to me. Plus, I love blue cheese.

Ingredients
For the crust:
4 oz or 115g low salt potato chips
1 oz or 25g butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup or 200g full fat ricotta or cottage cheese
2/3 cup or 165g fromage frais (or sub full fat plain Greek yogurt)
3 spring onions, white and green parts, finely sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 oz  or 175g blue cheese (I used a Fourme d”Ambert AOP.)

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and line the bottom of a 9 in or 23cm round tart pan with baking parchment.

Put your potato chips in a thick plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Pour the crumbed chips into a small bowl with the melted butter and mix well.

Tip the mixture into your prepared pan and use your clean hands or the back of a spoon to spread it out over the bottom and ever so slightly up the sides of the tart pan. Press it down to compact it.

N.B. If your tart pan has a removable bottom, it would be wise to set it in another larger pan before you put it in the oven.

Bake the potato chip crust in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. You want a nice golden crust.

While that’s baking, you can get on with the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, ricotta, fromage frais, spring onion and salt with a few good grinds of black pepper.

Don’t forget to keep checking the crust. When it is ready, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool. Turn the oven temperature down to 350°F or 180°C.

Crumble the blue cheese with a fork and fold it into the egg mixture.

Carefully pour the filling into the tart pan and sprinkle a few more grinds of black pepper to the top, if desired.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the outside is set and the middle is just the slightest bit jiggly. It will firm up more as it cools.

Leave to cool for about 15-20 minutes. Delia serves her savory cheesecake aka quiche with poached pears but I wanted a little crunch to go along with mine. I made a small salad of fresh pears with walnuts and dried cranberries dressed with a maple syrup vinaigrette. You can find that recipe right here.

Delia is absolutely spot on about pears and blue cheese. They go together so nicely.

Slice and enjoy!

And make sure you check out all the other lovely potato chip recipes we have for you today. Many thanks to our host Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories.

• A College Throwback + Potato Chip-Crusted Chocolate Tart from Culinary Adventures from Camilla
• Baked BBQ Potato Chip Crusted Pork Chops from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• How to Make Homemade Sun Dried Potato Chips from Sneha's Recipe
• Potato Chip and Roasted Cashew Cookies from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Potato Chip Crusted Salt and Vinegar Baked Cod from Palatable Pastime
• Potato Chip Crust Savory Cheesecake from Food Lust People Love
• Pretzel and Potato Chip Cookies with Butterscotch Frosting from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Salty-Sweet Potato Chip Cookies from Hardly a Goddess
• The Potato Chip Sandwich from Our Good Life

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays, and we all post recipes using the same ingredient. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

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Hot Lemon Curd Soufflés

Fluffy and light, these hot lemon curd soufflés are simple to make and bake, for a fresh dessert the whole family will love!

Time again for a few confessions.  The first one is that I own and use an old lady pullcart.  I got it for Christmas and I couldn’t have been happier.  (See below for evidence!)  And bless my daughters for giving it to me, despite their mortification when I use it!  You know what I’m talking about, right?

It's the kind with wheels that old ladies use to do their shopping in the city when they are on foot. Trundling around ahead of you, in their scratchy cardigans, even in the summer, and impeding your passage when they stop to talk to other old ladies about the weather? That’s me, except I just have the cart, and mine is flowered, not plaid, and I tend to walk at a reasonable clip.

Happy camper on Christmas Day!

After all, and this is the second confession, I use mine to scoot between charity shops, looking for used cookbooks while I am visiting the Channel Island of Jersey.  (Which happens as often as I can get there!)  And if I get to the shops before you, I am going to buy ALL the good cookbooks. Which are very heavy. Which is where the cart comes in. It's a necessity, folks, as well as a fashion accessory. Among the treasures I found on a trip a number of years ago, was the whole How To Cook series, books One – Three, by Delia Smith for only £1 each.  Score!

Which brings me to confession number three: I have a lot of cookbooks. When I get a new one, I go through it, carefully bookmarking all the recipes I want to try first.  The problem is that I often get several new ones at a time, and I don’t get around to making all the things I want to make before yet another new cookbook arrives and the old bookmarks get sadly curly and mashed as the cookbook is put into the shelf and, while not exactly forgotten, it’s no longer on the front burner, so to speak. Can anybody relate?

This week I am delighted to join Sunday Supper, a fabulous group of bloggers dedicated to getting everyone around the family table once more.  The current theme is all about trying something new, something that’s been on your bucket list but that you have yet to tackle.  These Hot Lemon Curd Soufflés were bookmarked at least five years ago so they totally qualify!  And now I am kicking myself for waiting so long.  Because they were delicious. And so easy.

Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 medium lemon
1/4 cup or 50g golden caster sugar
Plus 2 1/2 teaspoons golden caster sugar (White sugar can be substituted for both.)
2/3 cup or 155ml room temperature lemon curd (Store-bought or half of this recipe here http://www.foodlustpeoplelove.com/2013/01/quick-lemon-curd.html – eat the other half with a spoon!)
Butter for greasing your four ramekins

Optional for serving: a sprinkle of powdered or icing sugar

Method
Lightly butter your four ramekins and preheat your oven to 325°F or 170°C.
Separate your eggs and put the whites in a large clean, dry, grease-free bowl.  Put your yolks in a medium-size bowl.

Grate your lemon zest and juice your lemon.  Set aside.  You will need two tablespoons of the juice.  I used a zester for my lemon and the pieces were too big.  You definitely want to use a small grater or Microplane, if you have one.

Using either an electric mixer or a balloon whisk, beat the whites until stiff peaks form.  You’ll get much stiffer peaks with an electric mixer but mine is out of commission right now.  I was surprised by how quickly I was able to get stiff peaks with just a balloon whisk so if that’s all you have, don’t be discouraged.

Now add the 2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar to the whites and beat again.

To the yolk bowl, add the grated lemon zest and two tablespoons of juice, along with the remaining sugar and mix them together thoroughly.

See that zest?  Way too big. Another reminder to use a grater. 

Fold a good spoonful of the fluffy whites into the yolk mixture to loosen it.

Add the yolk mixture to the whites and gently, very gently, fold it in so that as much air and fluffiness as possible remains.

Divide your lemon curd between the buttered ramekins.

Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet or baking pan.  Spoon the mixture on top of the lemon curd and run your finger around the inside edge of each to clean it a little, if necessary.

Bake in your preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until the tops are golden.  Allow the hot curd to cool for a few minutes, then sprinkle with a little powdered sugar, if desired.  Place the whole hot ramekin on a small saucer to serve.

These will sink a little bit as time goes on but will still taste delicious and light, if not served immediately.

Enjoy!


Sunday Supper Specialty Breads:

• Alton Brown’s Soft Pretzels by Hezzi-D’s Book and Cooks
• Belgian Waffles by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Braided Challah by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Brioche by Gotta Get Baked
• Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites by In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maurene
• Gluten-free Bread by Happy Baking Days
• Homemade Bagels with Mimosa Spread by Daily Dish Recipes
• Homemade Tortillas by Supper for a Steal
• Monkey Bread by Vintage Kitchen Notes
  
  

Sunday Supper Main Dishes:

• Bagna Cauda and Potatoes by Shockingly Delicious
• Beef Wellington by Family Foodie
• Braised Short Ribs by The Messy Baker blog
• Butternut Squash Gnocchi by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Chinese Dumplings by My Cute Bride
• Falafel by Small Wallet Big Appetite
• French Onion Soup by The Weekend Gourmet
• Fresh Ravioli with Ricotta by Comfy Cuisine
• Fried Polenta with Spicy Tomato Relish by Mama Mommy Mom
• Gluten Free Ravioli by No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
• Japanese-Style Prosperity Pockets & Goat Cheese En Croute by Ninja Baking
• Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon by Hip Foodie Mom
• Leaping Frog Chicken by The Urban Mrs.
• Lightened Up Slow Cooker Butter Chicken by The Meltaways
• Mushroom Ragout over Creamy Polenta by Noshing with the Nolands
• Ropa Vieja by Magnolia Days
• San Antonio Puffy Tacos by Sustainable Dad
• Savory Spinach-Filled Crepe Cake with Cheddar Sauce by Webicurean
• Stuffed Artichokes by The Roxx Box
• Tah-Dig (Persian Rice) by The Little Ferraro Kitchen

Sunday Supper Desserts and Snacks:

• Chocolate Meringue Cake (gluten free) by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• Creamy Lemon Fudge by Chocolate Moosey
• Divinity by Juanita’s Cocina
• Faux Ice Cream with Bananas by Country Girl in the Village
• French Macarons by I Run for Wine
• Gluten-Free Golden Fudge Cake by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Granola Bars with Dried Fruit by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Homemade Seafoam Candy by All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Jamaican Blue Drawers by Lovely Pantry
• Mini Classic Key Lime Pies  by In the Kitchen with KP
• Nut and Seed Nougat by What Smells So Good?
• Peanut Sesame Honey Brittle by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Popcorn with truffle oil and Asiago cheese by Ruffles & Truffles
• Pumpkin Mocha Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting and Dulce de Leche Drizzle by Damn Delicious
• Zebra Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Spring Onion Rosemary Cheese Quick Bread

This Spring Onion Rosemary Cheese Quick Bread is easy to make, no yeast, no kneading, no trouble. Just full on flavor and an excellent crumb!

Cairo days

The heater is broken again.  Well, not exactly broken but all the wires that connect it to power have apparently burned up and melted into a molten non-conductive mess.  This happened on Thursday night, of course, because our weekend starts on Friday.  And it's still COLD!

So Friday I made soup – will post that recipe later because it turned out quite delicious – and yesterday I baked bread.  This recipe was adapted from one of my favorites, from the great doyenne of British cookery, Delia Smith.  Her version was with goat cheese and thyme but I have figured out that you can put any cheese and any herb and this will taste fantastic.

Spring Onion Rosemary Cheese Quick Bread

As mentioned above, you can switch out the cheese for any of your favorites, except perhaps something too soft and runny like Camembert or Brie. I fear those might melt completely out of the bread when baked. 

Ingredients

4 oz  or 110g strong cheese of your choice (I used a combo of blue and cheddar.)

4 spring onions, finely sliced

1 medium potato weighing approximately 6 oz or 175g

At least 1 rounded tablespoon fresh herbs (I used rosemary this time.) plus a few extra leaves for the top when baking

6 oz or 175g flour

1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon or generous pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon English mustard powder

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk

Olive oil for greasing the cookie sheet

Method

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C.

Pare the rind from the cheese, if there is one, and cut it into 1/2 inch or 1 cm cubes.  Remove the rosemary leaves from the stalks and mince all but a few.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a big, roomy mixing bowl, holding the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing.

Peel the potato and grate it straight into the flour, using the coarse side of the grater.  Lightly mix the potato in with a fork. 

Mince your spring onions.  

Add the spring onions, rosemary and two-thirds of the cheese to the potato/flour bowl.  Add in the cayenne and mustard powder.

Still using a fork, gently mix everything thoroughly.

After that, beat the egg with the milk, then pour the mixture into the bowl, just bringing it all together to a loose, rough dough, still using your fork.  It will seem too dry to come together but just keep mixing and turning the bowl and the dough and your patience will be rewarded.   It will come together.

Rub a little olive oil on your baking sheet and transfer the dough on top of the oil.

Pat it gently into a 6-inch or 15 cm rough round.  

Now lightly press the rest of the cheese over the surface, and scatter the reserved rosemary leaves over it as well.

Bake the bread on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.  

Remove it to a cooling rack or cutting board and serve it still warm if possible.  We slathered ours with butter and called it lunch! 

Enjoy!