Cajun cheesecake with Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers
Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15minutes
Serves: 20 people
Cooking Level: Beginner
This is a fun Southern appetizer! The rich cream cheese is met with the sweet and crunchy Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers. It is a great summer time appetizer that is versatile for a bbq or any get together where you want to impress your guest.
I am giving you a traditional way to serve it (in the cheesecake style- with a cracker crust), or you an option to keep it low carb and have more of the crunch with the beautiful peppers of course! The first time I had this dish was at a wedding. I was hooked! There was so much flavor there, and it reminded me of the classic Southern shrimp mold dish. When I tell you, I could have just ate that the entire night, I may just have blocked it out of my mind that I actually did do that!
You will bring your guest into a whirlwind of flavors. They will travel to the coast as they enjoy every bite full of seafood. They will feel like they are watching the peppers be picked fresh with every crunchy bite they have.
Bring them on an entire experience with this dish.
There is a lot of seafood to fill you up and lots of peppers to let you feel the fresh bounty of summer!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers in Red, Yellow & Orange, diced small for inside the cheesecake
1/2 cup diced Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers for the top of the cheesecake
1/4 cup onion, diced small
1 cup green onions
4 cream cheese blocks (8oz each)
1 cup jumbo lump crab meat
2 cups boiled shrimp (bought or boiled yourself, recipe on site) cut into bite sizes
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup artichoke hearts (I use marinated)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Splash of lemon juice
Tbsp of butter
Crust
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Ritz crackers crushed
3 tbsp melted
DIRECTIONS:
1. Take out your cream cheese to soften, place in a large bowl
2. Start Chopping! Chop an equal number of peppers in red, orange and yellow, dice them small
3. Dice your onion, small as well
4. Dice your green onions
5. Chop shrimp, add to a bowl with your crab meat that has been picked over for shells
6. In a skillet on medium-high heat, add the tbsp of butter
7. Add all the onions and peppers and saute down until just soft
8. Add the shrimp and crab
9. Add the Cajun seasoning
10. Add the lemon juice
11. Allow it to cool for a few minutes
12. Add all the mixture into the bowl with the cream cheese
13. Add heavy cream
14. Add artichoke hearts
15. Add Parmesan cheese
16. Mix well!
17. Once crust is baked and ready, pour mixture into the dish
18. Top with remainder of diced Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers
Make the Crust
1. In a bowl, mix the bread crumbs with crushed Ritz crackers
2. Melt butter and add it to the mixture
3. In a large pie dish, or even a baking dish (your choice) Spray with cooking spray and press mixture down into the dish
4. Bake on 350 for 10-15 minutes until nice and golden
If stuffing the Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers:
Slice Pure Flavor® Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers Bell Peppers in half
Fill with cheesecake mixture
Top with more peppers
Serve!
