Smoked Salmon Cheesecake With Green Onion Coulis

Smoked Salmon Cheesecake With Green Onion Coulis

``In the early days of Emeril's Restaurant, I worked closely with Mr. Lou, our outstanding baker, to come up with some signature pastries. As a salute to my good friend, the culinarian and cookbook author Lora Brody (who had the idea first), we decided to create a savory cheesecake - as opposed to the standard dessert version. We started by experimenting with crab and wild mushrooms, and it was an instant success. At the time, we were smoking our own salmon for an appetizer and decided to use some in the next cheesecake. The resulting Smoked Salmon Cheesecake is a taste of New York - a perfect city brunch without the bagels,'' says chef Emeril Lagasse.

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 cup bread crumbs (remove crust from a homemade-type bread and crumb in a food processor or blender)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped

1/2 cup red bell peppers, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

12 turns freshly ground black pepper

1-3/4 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature

4 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated smoked Gouda cheese

1 pound (2 cups) chopped smoked salmon

2-1/4 cups Green Onion Coulis (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly combine Parmesan, bread crumbs, and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the onions and peppers and saute, stirring and shaking the skillet for two minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, saute for another minute, and remove from heat.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the eggs in a large bowl until very thick and frothy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the heavy cream, Gouda, sauteed vegetables, and smoked salmon until well mixed, about 2 minutes.

Pour the filling over the crust in the springform pan and bake until firm, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. If you refrigerate the cheesecake before serving, allow to come to room temperature, about 1 hour. Prepare Green Onion Coulis (recipe below). To serve, cut in wedges with a warm knife and top each with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Green Onion Coulis. Serves 12 to 16.

GREEN ONION COULIS

3/4 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup fresh parsley sprigs

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt

6 turns freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 cups olive oil

Place green onions, parsley, shallots, and garlic in a food processor (or blender) and puree. Add eggs, salt, and pepper, and continue to process. With the machine running, stream in the olive oil until thoroughly mixed. Serve immediately.