Dry Jack Cheesecake Appetizer

Cheesecake for an appetizer? It's true! Dry Jack Cheesecake is so delicious and so special, everyone who eats it will be clamoring for the recipe. Make it ahead of schedule and pull it out in time to serve. You'll be glad you did!

What you'll need:
- 1/2 cup saltine cracker crumbs
- 5 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter (the real stuff, no substitutes), melted
- 4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 6 cups dry Jack cheese or Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese (shredded)
- 1/3 cup snipped fresh chives
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
- fresh pears (cored and cut into wedges)
- Crostini (toasted baquette slices) or crackers

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

For the crust
Stir the following ingredients all together: Cracker crumbs, 5 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and the melted butter. Sprinkle 3 quarters of the crumb mixture into a buttered 9-inch springform pan.

Next, you'll press the mixture around the sides of the pan and on the bottom of the pan. Chill the crust and reserve the remaining crumbs. You can put the reserved crumbs in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. (keep reading!)

For the filling
Beat the cream cheese, eggs and whipping cream in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Mix it on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture has a smooth, creamy consistency. Next, stir in the dry Jack or Parmesan cheese, Gruyere cheese, chives, and peppercorns. Stir it all together with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour the mixture into the crust you made earlier and spread it evenly. Take the reserved crumbs and sprinkle on top.

To bake the Dry Jack Cheesecake, first, put the springform pan on a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Reduce the temperature to 200 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the springform pan from the oven and cool on wire cookie racks for approximately 20 mintues. After cooling, release the springform pan. At this point you can either refrigerate it or serve it warm immediately.

To serve, warm a serrated knife under hot water and cut the cheesecake into wedges. Rewarm the blade after each cut. Serve the cheesecake warm with fresh pears and the crostini.

This recipe for Dry Jack Cheesecake makes 12 to 16 appetizer servings. Enjoy!

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For more great cheese appetizer ideas, visit our Cheese Appetizers where you'll find a nice variety of appetizers for all cheese-lovers!

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