Smoked Salmon Cheesecake

In the very early years of the bed and breakfast, I used to moonlight for a caterer friend of mine. My absolutely favorite specialty of her head chef was something he called "Salmon Mousse". In preparing the menu for my daughter's wedding in 2017, I wanted to include this, but could not find a recipe to even remotely resemble it--but I DID find the chef! Although he could not share his exact recipe, he did share that, "All it really is, is a savory cheesecake with salmon in it." Viola! From that nugget of information, I developed the following recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Black pepper
• 1 3/4 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated smoked Gouda cheese
• 1 pound chopped smoked salmon (2 cups)

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl; press mixture over bottom of a 9" spring form pan.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the onions and the green and red peppers and sauté, stirring and shaking skillet for 2 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, sauté for 1 minute and remove from heat.
• Beat together cream cheese and eggs with an electric mixer in a large bowl until very thick and frothy, about 4 minutes. Beat in cream, Gouda, sautéed vegetables and smoked salmon until thoroughly incorporated and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Pour filling over crust and bake until firm, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Remove cheesecake from refrigerator about 1 hour before serving. To serve, cut cheesecake in wedges with a warm knife. Garnish with smoked salmon on top and capers, chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped red onion and lemon wedges on the side.

NOTE: Makes seven(7) full or eight(8) mostly full 6" spring forms. Bake for 30-35 min at 350ºF.