So it has been forever since I updated! Sorry, for some reason I just can’t get into food blogging no matter how I try. So unless I have a special recipe I want to share I am not promising again to keep updating! This cheesecake was served at a Wine Tasting where I live last weekend. We had wines from Argentina that were just fabulous!

Blue Cheese Cheesecake

8 cloves roasted garlic
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
12 oz. imported gorgonzola cheese, room temperature
5 (8 ounces) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup whipping cream
5 eggs, room temperature
Cornmeal Crust (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare Cornmeal Crust.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. and position baking rack in center of oven.

To make filling:
In a large bowl, roasted garlic, place gorgonzola cheese and cream cheese; mix together until smooth and creamy. Add whip cream. Add the eggs, one at a time, while beating to incorporate.

Pour the cheese filling into prepared Cornmeal Crust. Tap lightly on counter to remove air bubbles.

Place cheesecake in center of middle oven rack. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until internal temperature is 160 degrees with a meat thermometer or until the center is almost set, but jiggles slightly when gently shaken. NOTE: Do not open the oven door during the first 30 minutes of baking as drafts can cause a cheesecake to fall or crack.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on counter for at least an hour, after which you may either serve or store in the refrigerator.

Serve warm or at room temperature with toasted baguette bread or crackers. To serve later, store in refrigerator up to 1 week. To reheat, simply slice and warm for 5 minutes in a 350 degree F. oven.

Cornmeal Crust:
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons dried basil
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese

Grease a 10-inch springform pan. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil; stir in cornmeal, garlic, salt, and basil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fold in parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

Press warm cornmeal mixture onto the bottom of the springform pan. Smooth the surface and set aside.

Roasted Garlic: Peel the outer skin of the garlic only; leave garlic bulb whole. Slice 1/2-inch of the pointed end of the garlic bulbs. Pour 1/2 teaspoon olive oil over the top of each bulb and let it sink in between the cloves. Wait 2 minutes and then repeat with another 1/2 teaspoon olive oil over each garlic bulb. Cover and bake 1 hour or until cloves are browned at the exposed end and soft throughout. Remove from oven. Allow garlic to cool and remove cloves from head. Garlic may be stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for several days.

My friend makes this everytime we get together. I tried making it once and was puzzled why it was not like hers. I’d used the same ingredients but something was missing. This summer when we got together for our Washington, DC trip, I watched her closely. I was not squeezing the tomatoes to release the juices! That was the secret of her wonderful bruschetta.

Brushetta

4 tomatoes, chopped and squeezed lightly
2 heads of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil to taste
fresh basil to taste, I used about 16 leaves or to taste

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Taste to adjust seasonings. Serve on toasted Italian bread slices.

Enjoy!

This is perhaps my favorite new restaurant and I hate that it is so far away! Zaytinya is on 9th Street and G. Zaytinya serves Mezze and it is best described on their website as “Mezze, also known as meze, maza and mezethes, are the small plates of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Under the direction of James Beard award-winning chef, José Andrés, Zaytinya’s extensive menu reflects the rich, regional diversity of classical and contemporary Greek, Turkish and Lebanese cuisine. It wouldn’t be accurate to describe mezze as an appetizer. These small bites are not typically served preceding a meal. Mezze are better described as party food, a meal meant for socializing. The perfect thing to serve at gathering of friends and family. A drink, a little conversation and mezze shared by everyone at the table. ” It all starts here.

Once we were seated our waiter came over and suggested we start off with some hummus and their signature olive oil with a pomegrante reduction and their homemade pita bread.

Next we got Fattoush which was tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, green peppers,radishes and pita chips with a pomegranate vinaigrette.

One of the fun things was we never knew what was going to be served next. The mezzes are served as soon as they are ready.

In the front was their Spanokopita made with their house made phyllo filled with spinach and feta cheese. In the back was Roasted Cauliflower with sultans, caper leaves and pine nut puree.

This was perhaps my favorite dish and I can’t wait to recreate it at home. As soon as I do I will post the recipe. This was their Seasonal Mushrooms with sauteed mushrooms, dates and toasted almonds. If you notice my friends didn’t even wait for me to take the picture here before digging in. Everything was so delicious that each new mezze was a true delight.

Our final luncheon dish was their Kebab Tasting Platter with lamb souvlaki, kofte, chicken kebab, mahanek served over harissa pita with tomatoes, cippolini onions and toum. It is hard to decide which one was best!

By this time we are all really full but decided if dessert was only half as good as what we had already had we had to try it. Zaytinya did not disappoint. I had Chocolate Visne with milk chocolate cream and cherry sorbet with three caramels. This was perhaps the best dessert I have ever had and remember I am a former pastry chef.

My friends ordered the next 2 desserts.

This one really surprised me. I usually hate yogurt but this dessert could make me a yogurt lover.

This was their Fresh Cheese “Tart” with pistachio shortbread, Greek honey thyme ice cream and sweet walnuts. I wasn’t all that crazy about this one but my friend loved it.

This is what all of our plates looked like when we were done.

We’re in DC for a few more days and I have a couple of more great DC restaurants to share with you. This restaurant is true foodie heaven! José Andrés’ is the chef and he has a new PBS show on Saturdays. He also is coming out with a new cookbook in the fall. I did get some recipe cards at the restaurant and almost bought a cookbook until I realized it was in Spanish!