Рецепт Crab and Mushroom Cheesecakes With Spanish Cava
Crab and Mushroom Cheesecakes With Spanish Cava
This is a crazy time of year for everyone and I’m no exception. No matter how well I plan, it always seems to come down to the last moment and a million things to get done. Work to finish, dishes to prepare for the holiday, gifts for friends and family, shipping things out of state and yes, blog posts to write. It all sort of came crashing down on me this week and I asked a friend for help. Not the easiest thing to do but I did and she was great. It was Thursday, I was dead tired and so I called my friend Nancy with the fabulous A Communal Table blog in California at 8pm and asked if she could rescue me for Happy Hour Friday with one of her fabulous appetizers. I mean I asked a lot. Could I please use your photo and your recipe. PRETTY PLEASE?
She’s a true friend and without hesitation said, “Sure, what do you want to use?” I didn’t even care I was so exhausted so Nancy suggested these Crab and Mushroom Cheesecakes; perfect for a holiday dinner appetizer or center stage at a party. I’m thinking it would be perfect for New Year’s Eve. What to serve with it? We both agreed that a sparkling wine would be perfect; I’ve always got a supply of Cristalino Spanish Cava on hand which I love; it’s affordable and perfect alone or with some liqueur added for a fancier cocktail. I recently made some cranberry liqueur and served Cranberry Cava cocktails and they were perfect and beautiful.
What’s the difference between Champagne and other sparkling wines? A combination of the region where they are produced and the grapes used in their production combine to create differences. Champagne comes from a region in France where the name is legally protected; if a sparkling wine is made elsewhere, it can not be called Champagne. It has the benefit of a hugely successful marketing campaign that makes it out to be the premier sparkling wine. I won’t deny that a great bottle of Champagne is fabulous but the price reflects both the expense of producing in this one region and the cache that surrounds this product resulting in prices that can be far more than any other sparkling wines.
Cava can come from anywhere in Spain though a fair amount of it is from around Barcelona. The grapes used for Cava are different than those used for Champagne but both are made with a blend of grape varieties and they are both made in a similar manner. It is made and sold in a variety of price points so although I love it, I doubt I would love a $2.99 bottle of it. My fondness for Cristalano is not predicated by the reasonable price point but I sure don’t mind. I’ve seen it priced from $6 to $9/bottle.
Italy’s Prosecco is now legally protected like Champagne as there is a village of that name in the Veneto region, but is also unique from the other two in that it is made from one grape called Prosecco. It is not considered as popular as either Champagne or Cava but I’ve had great Prosecco that is also reasonably priced so I don’t hesitate to use it either.
Any of these sparkling wine would be the perfect accompaniment for this gorgeous appetizer. Happy Holidays!
Also, please do yourself a favor and visit Nancy’s blog. I hope we’ll be collaborating more as she makes the most fabulous appetizers and I want to showcase them along with cocktails for Happy Hour Friday. So go now. Quick like a bunny. :)
Crab and Mushroom Cheesecakes With Spanish Cava
A tasty combination that highlights the flavor of crab.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups ground melba toast rounds
- 3/4 stick butter, melted
- For the Filling:
- 1 Tbsp. canola oil
- 1/2 cup minced shallots
- 1/2 cup minced roasted red bell pepper
- 2 cups assorted wild mushrooms, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp. dry sherry
- 2 – 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup crab meat, drained and picked over
- 1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
- 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
- 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
Preparation
To Prepare the Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix melba toast crumbs with melted butter.
Place 1 Tbsp. of the crumb mixture in the bottom of each cup. Tamp down the crumbs with your fingers or a tart tamper if you have one.
Bake crust until golden brown – about 10 minutes.
To Prepare the Filling:
Heat 1 Tbsp. of canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are brown.
Add the shallots and saute until shallots are soft – about 2 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until sherry evaporates. Set aside and cool.
In a mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add the whipping cream and beat until thoroughly combined. Mix in the mushroom mixture, bell pepper, crabmeat, gruyere and chives.
Spoon filling into each cup about 2/3 of the way full. Place pan on a sheet pan and place in the oven. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cheesecakes cool on a rack. To remove, run a knife around the edges of the cheesecakes and remove.
Notes
If making ahead, refrigerate cheesecakes in the pan and remove when cold.
For these cheesecakes, Nancy used the Chicago Metallic Mini Cheesecake Pan that is available from Sur la Table
2.0
http://www.creative-culinary.com/2011/12/crab-and-mushroom-cheesecakes-with-spanish-cava-and-pomegranate-arils/
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