Mushroom Crab Cheesecake

Mushroom Crab Cheesecake Crust:

1 and 3/4 cups fresh french bread crumbs

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and butter and press mixture into bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Filling:

4 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups of crabmeat, drained picked through well for shells

1 cup grated smoked Gouda cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

4 cups coarsely chopped assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as oyster and stemmed shiitake) 2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 French baguette, sliced and toasted

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until the liquid evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown (about 10 minutes. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, salt and pepper until mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time and then whip in the cream. Nest mix in the vegetable mixture, crabmeat, Gouda cheese and parsley.

Pour filling over crust and place cheesecake on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until cake puffs and browns on top but center moves slightly when pan is shaken (about 1 and 1/2 hours). Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack after loosening the cake from the pan edges with a sharp knife. Don't remove the rim.

Serve either chilled or at room temperature with toasted baguette slices,crackers or other bread of choice.

Mushroom Crab Cheesecake-->Savory Cheesecakes