Savory Zucchini Cheesecake #BundtBakers

A cheesecake with a difference, this savory zucchini version is perfect sliced up and served on toasted bread or crackers. 

The best part of belonging to groups like Bread Bakers and Bundt Bakers is the challenge of creating a recipe to fit each month’s theme. We have a lot of talented bakers in both groups and sometimes it seems like they are trying to outdo each other when they host! The rule is that the host gets to choose the theme. If you’ve been reading along, you know that just in the last couple of months, we've baked Bundts inspired by the tales of Scheherazade and retro desserts, just to name two creative themes.

This month our host is Padmajha from Seduce Your Tastebuds and she has gone in an unusual direction for baking in a Bundt pan: Savory! I immediately thought of the little savory shrimp cheesecakes I baked a couple of years ago for Sunday Supper and I knew a larger Bundt would be delicious. Since summer is the season of an overload of zucchinis (courgettes to my Australian/British readers), I decided to incorporate them to help those gardeners with the surplus. You are welcome!

Ingredients
Drizzle of olive oil, for oiling the Bundt pan
2 cups or 230g zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 large eggs
leaves from few sprigs fresh thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup or 35g minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeño, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups or 485g whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup or 50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Optional, to garnish:
Zest of one lemon
Thyme leaves

Tip: Use a microplane to zest the lemon onto a paper towel and set it aside early in the process. When it's time to sprinkle the lemon zest on your savory Bundt, it will be quite dry and sprinkle-able. Damp zest tends to clump together. 

Method
Preheat oven to 325°F or 163°C. Drizzle about a teaspoon or so of olive oil in your 10-cup Bundt pan. I used this square one from Nordic Ware. (<affiliate link) The square design makes cutting slices to top bread or crackers much tidier. Use a pastry brush to get the oil in all the little corners and crevices of your chosen pan.

In a colander, toss the grated zucchini with the salt and set it aside to drain either in the sink or with a bowl underneath. It’s amazing how much liquid comes out.

Whisk your eggs with the thyme leaves and a good sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl.

Add in the onion, garlic and jalapeño and mix again.

Squeeze the grated zucchini to get out as much liquid as you possible can, then add it to the bowl.

Add the lemon juice and the flour and mix well.

Now fold in the ricotta and the Parmesan. Give the whole thing another good few grinds of black pepper. Can you tell I am a fan?

Spoon the cheese mixture into the pan and smooth out the top.

Bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cheesecake is still just set. It will set more as it cools.

Leave it on a wire rack for about half an hour or until it looks fairly firm. Now here’s the tricky bit. You need to put your serving plate on top of the pan and turn the whole thing over in one swift but steady movement. You do not want one side of the cheesecake to fall out before the other. I ran a toothpick around the edges and tipped mine from side to side to loosen it first. (Don’t use a knife or you might mar the non-stick finish of a Nordic Ware pan.)

Mix your thyme leaves and lemon zest together and sprinkle them both on the cheesecake.

Serve with sliced baguette or crackers. And perhaps a celebratory beverage.

Enjoy!

Many thanks this month to our host, Padmajha. Making a savory Bundt was a great challenge! Many thanks also to Renee of Magnolia Days who made sure this all ran smoothly.

Check out all the wonderful ways my fellow Bundt Bakers met the challenge.

• Bacon Cheddar Beer Bundt by The Queen of Scones
• Blue Cheese and Pear Mini Bundt Cakes by Patty's Cake
• Breakfast Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Dukkah, Herb & Cheese Monkey Bread by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Ham, Carrot & Beer Bundtlettes by I Love Bundt Cakes
• Mexican Breakfast Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mini Meatloaf Bundts and Sliders by Magnolia Days
• Rosemary, Olive Oil & Polenta Bundt by The Cinnamon Scrolls
• Sausage & Apple Cornbread Bundt Cake with a White Gravy Drizzle by The Freshman Cook
• Savory Zucchini Cheesecake by Food Lust People Love
• Southern Honey Drenched Jalapeño Cornbread by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Stromboli Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime
• "Tastes Like Pizza" Bundt by Sew You Think You Can Cook

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the Bundt Bakers home page.

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Baked Zucchini with Spicy Tomatoes

The application of a little caramelizing heat brings out the best in these tender baby zucchini making sure they can still compete with the spicy tomatoes and feta cheese baked on top.  This dish is great as a vegetarian main or as a side dish. 

What’s your weakness?
I love a Cheeto or Dorito as much as the next person. Okay, okay, you’ve got me. I probably love them more. I’m not a big sweet eater so fatty and salty are definitely my dietary weak spots. That said, if I can add cheese to a vegetable dish – everybody saw my Sunday Supper potato chard bake a couple of weeks ago, right? – then my needs are satisfied in a much healthier manner.

This dish of baby zucchini topped with spicy tomatoes, feta cheese and crunchy pumpkin seeds was so good that we had it as a main course one night and delighted in it as a side dish the very next night. I was sad when it was gone.

The “unprocessed” challenge
This week Sunday Supper is featuring recipes that forgo the weird chemical ingredients that no one can pronounce, using just whole foods in their mostly natural state, if you don’t count things like pasteurizing milk to kill the harmful bacteria or making cheese out of it. I guess technically those are “processed” but, as far as I’m concerned, that’s in a good way. Our host this week is DB from Crazy Foodie Stunts and he got his inspiration for this theme from Andrew Wilder’s October Unprocessed Challenge. Whether you are willing to take the challenge or not, I'm sure we can all agree that if we can't say the ingredient or spell it, we probably shouldn't be eating very much of it!

These zucchini with spicy tomatoes, on the other hand, we will be eating more often.

Ingredients
1 lb 2 oz or 510g baby zucchini
1 lb 2 oz or 510g ripe tomatoes
1 small onion (about 3 oz or 85g)
2 red chilies
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 oz or 100g feta (I like one that is made with sheep’s milk but use your favorite.)
1/4 cup or 20g pumpkin seeds

Method
Cut the stems off of your little zucchini and then halve them lengthwise.

Chop your onions and tomatoes and mince the chilies and garlic.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and fry the zucchini halves until they are browned nicely on both sides.

Put them in a baking dish in a single layer.

Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the onion, garlic and chilies. Sauté for a few minutes until they soften.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, the smoked paprika and the sugar. Cook for about seven or eight minutes over a medium heat until the tomatoes start breaking down.

Spoon the spicy tomatoes over the zucchini in the ovenproof dish.

Crumble the feta over the tomatoes and sprinkle everything with the pumpkin seeds.

Bake in your preheated oven for about half an hour.

It’s done with the feta is nicely browning and the dish is bubbling hot and brown all around the edges.

Enjoy!


Check out all the great “unprocessed” recipes we have for you today!

Alluring Appetizers and Snacks

• Baked Beet Chips by The Dinner-Mom
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa by What Smells So Good?
• Crispy Tex-Mex Quinoa Patties by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Curried Apple Chips by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Homemade Energy Bars by The Foodie Army Wife
• Homemade Fennel-Maple Mustard by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Honey Thyme Chicken by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Raw Salted Chocolate Chip Oat Healthy Bars by Wallflour Girl
• Stuffed Peppadew Peppers by An Appealing Plan

Stunning Sides

• Autumn Panzanella by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Basic Roasted Cauliflower by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Brioche Dinner Rolls by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Homemade Hash Browns by Basic N Delicious
• Indian Spiced Dal and Sag Aloo by Happy Baking Days
• Roasted Parsnips and Carrots with Maple Syrup and Cardamom by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Spicy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes by Magnolia Days
• Stuffed Acorn Squash by Rhubarb and Honey
• Sweet Potato and Carrot Hash by Fit Foodie Runs
• Sweet Potato Fries by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Sweet Potato Noodles and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Whole Grain, No-Knead Sourdough Bread by Peaceful Cooking

Enticing Entreés

• Authentic Chicken Tinga by Shockingly Delicious
• Baked Zucchini with Spicy Tomatoes by Food Lust People Love
• Chicken and Sweet Potatoes by MealDiva
• Chinese Five Spice Chicken Stir Fry by Nosh My Way
• Coconut Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Dip by Casa de Crews
• Easy Slow Cooker Chili by Amee's Savory Dish
• Fall Squash Soup by Ruffles & Truffles
• Grilled Burgers with Garlicky Arugula by Cooking Chat
• Homemade Gnocchi with Peas and Pesto by Curious Cuisiniere
• Jacket Potato Party by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Mom's Homemade Vegetarian Meatballs by The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Pumpkin & Italian Sausage Pasta by Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Seared Pork Stack by annaDishes
• Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by Momma's Meals
• White Bean Pesto Stew by eating in instead

Decadent Desserts

• Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blondies by Pies and Plots
• Raw Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Vegan Mini Chocolate Cream Cakes by NinjaBaking.com

Zucchini Lime Muffins #MuffinMonday

Moist and delicious, these zucchini lime muffins are made with homegrown citrus from my garden in Cairo and sport a wonderful oaty crumble on top.

 

Here’s something I don’t think I have shared with you all before:  I have an alien fruit tree in my yard.   They are clearly of the citrus variety and smell just like oranges.  They are also perfectly spherical, just like oranges.  But the outsides are green.  

I thought they might change color, but so far, they have not.  They were mere flower buds on the tree when we moved here in January and I have been waiting nine long months for the fruit to be ready to pick.  

The problem is, how do you know when citrus is ready to pick?  Every so often I wander outside and give the lower ones a squeeze.  Surely when they are ripe and full of juice, they will soften up slightly, right?   Well, they sure haven’t yet. Not much anyway.  

When I received the email with this week’s Muffin Monday recipe, and it was a Zucchini Lemon Muffin, I decided it was time. Because I am tired of waiting. Nine months, people!  And if they taste like orange or lime, either way, they will make a good muffin. (And if they don’t taste good, I had some store bought limes for back up!)  

So I picked a couple and cut one open.  Despite the distinct smell of orange, the juice is sour and tastes like lime. I decided right there to add brown sugar to the mix because all that sourness would not be relieved by only syrup for sweetening. 

So I give you homegrown lime muffins with zucchini and brown sugar, with a brown sugar crumble topping.  And they were good.

Ingredients

For the muffin:

1/2 cup or 70g flour

1/4 cup or 25g ground almonds

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup or 20g traditional or rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup or 60ml Lyle’s Golden Syrup

2 tablespoons lime zest (from 2 large limes - and one more for the topping)

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 egg

1/4 cup or 60ml canola oil

1/4 cup or 60ml yogurt

1/2 cup or 60g zucchini

For the topping:

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon COLD butter

Zest of one large lime

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and line a muffin tin with six liners or grease generously.  (The recipe made eight for me and you will see later how full I filled the cups.)

Combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, oats, salt and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Stir and set aside.

Zest and juice your limes.  Make sure to strain out the seeds.

Put all the topping ingredients - cold butter, 1 tablespoon of lime zest, oats and brown sugar – into your food processor and give them a quick zip until they look like large crumbs.  Set aside.

Whisk together the syrup, the remaining lime zest, lime juice, 1 egg, canola oil and yogurt in a small bowl.  

Grate in the zucchini and stir.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.

Divide among six (or eight or 10 muffin) liners.  

Divide the crumble mix among the muffins.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Remove the muffins and place on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

And just for fun, here's the hound playing with one of the green "balls" from our tree.  He has been wanting one since they became big enough for him to notice them hanging there. 

Exploratory sniff.

I'll have that!

Catching the ball mid-air.

Quick chew - not so tasty. 

The ball that bites back!

Zucchini Clafoutis

A savory main or side dish with zucchini or courgette baked in a lovely cheesy fluffy batter, zucchini clafoutis is a delight and so easy to make.

The English language probably has more words than any other language in the world, and yet, sometimes it is lacking. As I write this post I am sitting in the dining room of an old friend who lives just south of Paris. We met more than 20 years ago when I lived in the same little town. But “old friend” sounds unwarrantedly negative because Mary is only a couple of years older than I am, and frankly, I don’t know anyone younger in spirit and full of positivity – and she is in pretty good physical shape too.  

In French, on the other hand, an old friend - one you have known for a very long time - is an ancienne amie. An old friend - one that is advanced in age - is an amie ancienne. We need something like that in English, don’t you think? 

Anyhoo, here I am in Paris, enjoying a couple of days with my ancienne amie, Mary, and we have been cooking and gabbing and drinking wine. She is a wonderful, natural cook who uses fresh ingredients to make delicious meals. She and her family have made me extremely welcome and I would like to live here forever, except for the probably-imposing-after-a-few-days thing.

I happened to tell Mary about making zucchini clafoutis a couple of weeks ago and suddenly, we had added it to the menu for the evening, along with a sausage pilaf she had already planned. I sliced and diced the zucchini in the kitchen while she taught a private English class out on the deck in the beautiful sunshine. The weather has been GORGEOUS this week. 

Then she finished the pilaf and got it in the oven, while we enjoyed a glass of wine.  And some more chatting. Simple delicious food, lovingly prepared then eaten in the company of good friends. It doesn’t get better than this.

Ingredients

For the vegetables:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil


1/2 large onion

1 lb 12 oz or 800 grams small zucchini or courgettes

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
 leaves

Salt and pepper for seasoning the zucchini

For the batter:

1/3 cup or 40 grams flour

1/2 cup or 120ml whole milk

3/4 cup or 180ml heavy cream


1/4 cup or 60ml water


3 eggs


½ teaspoon fine sea salt


3 1/8 oz or 90 grams grated Parmesan (Don’t worry too much about the exact measure.  More won’t hurt. :)

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.   Grease a 13X9in or 33X23cm baking dish with olive oil and set aside.

Chop your onion and set aside.

Scrub the zucchini and cut the ends off.  Slice in 1/4-inch circles. If you have big zucchini, you may choose to peel them. 

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drizzle with olive oil and add the zucchini and cook till they brown a little.  Now add the chopped onion.

Season with salt and pepper.  Cook gently for a few minutes and then add the thyme.  

Cook until the vegetables are tender and the water coming from the zucchini has mostly evaporated.  Transfer this mixture to the serving dish and allow to cool.

 To make the batter, whisk together the flour, milk, cream, water, eggs, and the 1/2 teaspoon salt until they are silky smooth.

Pour the egg batter over the vegetables.  

Top with the cheese.

Bake the clafoutis until the eggs are set and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

If necessary, brown the top further with the oven broiler or grill before serving.  Can be served hot or at room temperature.

 Enjoy!