New Yorkleans

Even though I no longer live in New Orleans, whenever we have guest at our home that aren't from Louisiana I try to serve them at least one cajun or creole inspired dish during their stay. It says so much about who I am as a cook and what I enjoy to eat. This Easter weekend we had Forrest's cousin Lauren stay with us. She grew up all over the country and currently lives in New York City. She wouldn't be arriving to our home until late Friday night and I wanted to have something to serve with cocktails. I struggled with finding an interesting choice. Afterall, she lives in NYC and has access to anything she could dream of eating. I knew I wanted to incorporate a little of my culinary heritage and I thought this recipe was a great way to tie New Orleans to New York - crawfish and cheesecake!

Crawfish Cheesecake
Adapted from Chef John Folse

INGREDIENTS FOR CRUST:

• 3 tbsps melted butter
• 1 egg white
• 1 cups crushed butter crackers (like Ritz)
  

METHOD FOR CRUST:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, egg white and crackers.

Press mixture into the bottom of two 4 1/2-inch springform pans (or you could use 7oz ceramic ramekins).

Bake for 8 minutes to crisp. Remove from oven and cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F.

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING:

• 1/2 pound crawfish tails, chopped
• 1 1/2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tbsps cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp Zatarain's Creole seasoning
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  
• 1 1/2 tbsps minced onions
• 2 1/2 tbsps minced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup sliced chives
• 1 large eggs
  

METHOD FOR FILLING:
In a mixing bowl, blend cream cheese, sour cream, cornstarch, salt, Creole seasoning, cayenne, onions, bell pepper and chives. Blend well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add egg

and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl again. Fold in the chopped crawfish tails.

Pour the batter over the cooled crust.

Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for another hour without opening the door. Cool on a rack for at least 4 hours. Carefully unmold. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with crackers or alone.

This dish was so easy to make and oh so delicious. The savory twist on this famous dessert is very satisfying. The assembly was a breeze and it would be great to make this the day before you need it in order to let it set over night for the right consistency. It was the perfect thing to have sitting out on the bar over some late night drinks. The flavor was amazing and the crust was addictive!