Dungeness Crab Cheesecake

This is a savory cheesecake and will be served up with some crackers as an appetizer. It is the same baking process as a dessert cheesecake, except this one is made without a water bath. Frankly, I think the only reason to bake it is so that the eggs get cooked; otherwise, everything else that went into the recipe can be eaten as is. This recipe ratio, minus the onions, is adaapted from the 1999 issue of Taste of Home. I baked this one in a 9" springform pan, like the one used for cakes. For the crab part of the recipe, I steamed a dungeness crab the previous night and reserved the meat.

Dungeness Crab Cheesecake. Looks a little boring.
Tastes like it desperately needs a contrasting flavor or
roasted red peppers added to it.

On the seafood seasoning, you could just use Old Bay seasoning; though in lieu of that, this is what goes into it: celery seed (adds a savory depth to meat rubs), black pepper (spicy), bay leaves (savory), cardamom pods (sweet & spicy), mustard seeds (savory), whole cloves (sweet & spicy), sweet paprika (mild & sweet, mostly for color) and ground mace (sweet).

[edit] This came out tasting terribly bland, like it was just cream cheese mixed with crab. To bring out the flavor more, perhaps next time add in a cup of shredded smoked gouda or fry some red/green/yellow/orange small diced bell peppers into it for color contrasts.

Ingredients

16 oz cream cheese, softened

3 oz sour cream

1 c crushed butter crackers + 1/4 c melted unsalted butter

1 c cooked dungeness crab meat, flaked

3 eggs lightly beaten

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp seafood seasoning (I used ground mace, smoked paprika, pinch of ground cloves)

dash of chili sauce (like a sirracha or Tabasco sauce)

freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, seafood seasoning, and chili sauce. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese and sour cream. Beat together until smooth. Add in lightly beaten eggs, lemon juice, seafood seasoning, chili sauce and some freshly ground black pepper. Blend until smooth-ish.

3. Take 25-30 round butter crackers (like Ritz or Trader Joe's) and crush them with your hands, in a food prep, or in a sealable plastic bag with a bottle or rubber mallet. You could also substitute panko crumbs in this step, I suppose. Mix the cracker crumbs with melted butter and gently press into the bottom of a buttered springform cake pan.

4. Bake cracker crust for 10 minutes, remove from oven and turn oven heat down to 325 degrees F.

5. Pour cream cheese mixture into the prepared cake pan and use a spatula to spread the filling evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, until center has set.

6. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Use a butter knife to loosen the cheesecake from the edge of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let refrigerate for an hour or more before serving.

Serve with freshly made bread or crackers.