Tex Mex Cheese Cake Food

SAVORY TEX-MEX CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Mix cracker crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
• Beat cream cheese and egg in large bowl with mixer until blended. Blend in sour cream. Add shredded cheese, 1/3 cup salsa and cilantro; mix well. Pour over crust.
• Bake 30 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours. Top with remaining salsa just before serving.

TEX MEX CHEESE CAKE

Steps:

• Butter spring form pan, coat with tortilla crumbs--set aside.
• Beat cream cheese, ricotta and jack cheese adding seasoning mix and adobo sauce beating in with electric mixer or in a food processor.
• Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
• Separate batter in half--add salsa to one half and chipotles and scallions to the other half.
• Layer in spring pan.
• Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes.
• Spread sour cream sprinkle shredded cheese and bake 10 minutes.
• Cool in pan.
• Cover and wrap in plastic.
• Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Slide knife around edge of pan and remove to serve. Place on platter and garnish with toppings.
• Scoop with tortilla chips.

HOT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter, hot chocolate mix and salt, and pulse until the mixture comes together and holds its shape when squeezed. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and press it into the bottom to make an even layer. Bake until the crust is just firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Place the pan on a large piece of foil, and fold the foil up the sides of the pan. (This helps seal the pan, to keep water out while baking.)
• For the filling: Wipe out the food processor. Pulse the cream cheese, sugar, hot chocolate mix and sour cream until completely smooth, without any lumps, scraping down the side of the bowl a few times. Add the eggs and vanilla, and pulse until incorporated. Pour the filling into the crust, and set the pan inside a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to go halfway up the side of the springform pan (but not above the foil).
• Bake the cheesecake until the edge is set but the center jiggles slightly (when you gently shake the pan, the cheesecake should move in a cohesive wave motion), 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, and open the door for a few seconds to let out some heat. Close the door, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven until cooked completely through, 1 hour more.
• Transfer the springform pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
• Before serving, cut the marshmallows on the diagonal, and arrange them, cut-side down, in a neat line all over the top edge of the cheesecake.

MARGARITA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in center. In a food processor, pulse pretzels until fine crumbs form (you will have a little more than 1 cup). Add sugar and melted butter; process until combined. Press evenly in bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until golden brown, about 9 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• Filling: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Wrap exterior of springform pan with a double layer of foil. Set a kettle of water to a boil. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in sour cream, sugar, Grand Marnier, tequila, lime zest, and salt; beat until well incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
• Pour cream-cheese mixture over cooled crust (filling will come up higher than crust). Set springform pan in a roasting pan; carefully pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up side of springform pan.
• Bake on center rack until cake is set and slightly firm to the touch, about 65 minutes. Transfer springform pan to a wire rack and remove foil; let cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 6 hours or up to overnight. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen before unmolding. Garnish top of cheesecake with lime slices.

WORLD'S BEST CHEESE CAKE (CHEESECAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Dry mix graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon and mix in melted butter, until uniform and all crumbs are wetted out.
• Press into the bottom of a spring form pan and up the sides an inch or so. Set aside.
• Mix cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft and workable.
• Add eggs, 1/2 C sugar and vanilla and mix with electric mixer until smooth.
• Add whipping cream slowly with mixing to avoid lumping.
• Pour batter into prepared crust, and bake for 45 minutes.
• Mix sour cream and 1/4 C sugar and spread this evenly over the baked cheese cake.
• Bake for 15 more minutes.
• Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Top with fruit pie filling if desired.

MEXICAN CHEESECAKE (SAVOURY)

Steps:

• Oven dry the tortillas at 200F directly on an oven rack for 45 minutes, until very crackly crisp.
• When the tortillas are cool, grind very fine in a food processor.
• Place in an airtight bag until ready to use.
• May be done several days ahead.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Brush the inside of a 9-inch springform pan with melted butter and carefully coat with tortilla crumbs.
• Tap out excess and reserve for topping.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor, beat together the cheeses, sour cream, garlic, jalapenos, salsa, tomato paste, salt, pepper and eggs.
• Beat until smooth.
• Fold in the cilantro and beaten egg whites.
• Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle top evenly with remaining tortilla crumbs.
• Wrap bottom of pan in heavy aluminum foil to prevent leaking.
• Place pan inside a larger pan and pour in enough hot water to come up 1 inch.
• Bake for 70 minutes.
• Test center with a knife, which should come out clean.
• Cool in oven with door ajar.
• Remove sides from pan, but leave cake on the pan bottom.
• Place on platter.
• Surround with watercress.
• Place a bouquet of watercress on center of the cake.
• Garnish with crescents of avocado.
• Cut into wedges and serve with tomato salsa on the side.
• The cheesecake is best not refrigerated, so ideally, it should come out of the oven about 2 hours before serving time.