This dish is a take on the great Crabmeat Cheesecake from the Palace Cafe. This savory cheesecake is not to be confused with the dessert cheesecake. This is definitely not sweet.
1/2 (13.7 oz.) box Ritz crackers
1 cup Butter, melted
1/2 pound Andouille Sausage, sliced
1/2 pound Crawfish Tails
1/4 cup Jalapeno Peppers, chopped
24 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup Sour Cream
1 tablespoon fresh Thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
3 large Eggs
1/2 cup Crawfish Beurre Blanc, recipe to follow
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, add crackers, and process until finely chopped. In a medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes and set aside. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, add sausage, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add crawfish and jalapeno, and cook until jalapeno softens. about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside, and let cool. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add crawfish mixture, thyme, salt and pepper, and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Pour cream cheese mixture over prepared crust. Set springform pan in a roasting pan, and fill with water half-way up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until set and cheesecake jiggles in the center, about 1 hour. Remove oven, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 3 days before serving. Serve with Crawfish Beurre Blanc.
Crawfish Beurre Blanc
2 teaspoons Vegetable Oil
1/4 pound Crawfish Tails
1/4 cup Shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning, divided
1/2 cup dry White Wine
1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Hot Sauce
4 spring fresh Thyme
1 tablespoon Peppercorns
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Butter, cubed
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Stir in crawfish, shallot and 1/2 teaspoon Creole Seasoning; cook until shallot is tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside and let cool. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine wine, vinegar, hot sauce, thyme, peppercorns, and garlic, and cook until reduced by 1/3, about 15 minutes. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer; return liquid to pan. Add cream, and cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in butter, one cube at a time, until butter is melted and the sauce is smooth; stir in remaining creole Seasoning. Stir in crawfish mixture. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!!!
