Recipe: Oregon Blue Cheesecake

Makes 20 to 24 appetizer servings

1/2 cup finely crushed cheese crackers

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

8 ounce Oregon blue cheese or other blue cheese, crumbled

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs

¼ cup medium salsa

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup finely chopped green onion

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

Cracker and or thin slices of baguette, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9- or-10-inch springform pan. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs on the bottom of the pan, then turn and tilt the pan so the crumbs coat the sides as well.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, blue cheese, sour cream, eggs, salsa, flour and salt, using an electric mixer on medium speed until evenly blended, scraping down the sides as needed.

3. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold the green onion into the batter, then pour into the springform pan, smoothing the top. Scatter the walnuts evenly and bake until set, about 45 minutes. Take the pan from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

4. To serve, let the cheesecake come to room temperature. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, remove the sides of the springform pan and set the cheesecake on a serving platter, with crackers and/or thin slices of baguette alongside.

From "Northwest Best Places Cookbook Volume 2:

More Recipes from the Best Restaurants and Inns of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia" by Cynthia C. Nims