Smoked Salmon Cheesecake, Turkey Meatballs with Pesto Cream Sauce, Seafood Salsa, Sausage Puffs. 

Many of you who attended our fun Ladies Night this year kindly requested the recipes to some of our appetizers.  I have included them below; I hope you enjoy them!  If you have any questions or comments about them, please leave them in the comments or stop in at Knollwood and just ask!

Thanks, Cary Tomoser

Smoked Salmon Cheesecake

Original Yield: 12 Servings Sized to 12 Servings

Savory cheesecake to serve with crackers. Think creamy, baked cheeseball.

Ingredients

16 ounces Cream cheese; softened thoroughly              1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; grated                                 1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 whole Eggs                                                              1/8 teaspoon White pepper
1/4 cup Heavy cream                                                   3 tablespoons Fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup Sour cream                                                     2 tablespoons Fresh chives, chopped
6 ounces Smoked salmon; divided                                 2 teaspoon Lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon Onion powder

Preheat oven to 275°.

In mini food processor or by knife, reduce 4 ounces of smoked salmon almost to a paste, leaving a little texture.  Chop remaining salmon. Set all salmon aside.

Mix cream cheese and parmesan cheese until very smooth.  Combine eggs, cream, and sour cream; slowly add to cream cheese mixture, mixing thoroughly until smooth before adding more.

Add smoked salmon "paste", onion powder, garlic powder, salt and white pepper; stir until evenly mixed. Stir in chopped salmon, lemon zest, and herbs.

Spray 7" springform pan or 4 cup ramekin/souflle dish or similar with cooking spray; if not using springform, cut a circle of parchment to fit bottom of dish of you wish to turn it out for serving. Spray both sides of parchment.  Pour mixture into dish and smooth top.

Bake until the center barely jiggles at all; one to one and a half hours or so. Cool on a rack for an hour before refrigerating; run knife around edge after 20 minutes.  To serve, remove sides of pan or turn out and remove parchment paper. Serve with crackers.

Seafood Salsa

Yield: 12 Servings

Fresh tasting and full of seafood...a nice change of pace.

Ingredients

4 cups Salsa; chunky, such as Pace                1/4 pound Baby Salad Shrimp thawed
3 whole Tomatillas; finely chopped                  1/4 pound Imitation Crabmeat chopped
1/4 cup Red onion; minced                            Salt to taste
1 tablespoon Lime juice; or more as needed    Hot sauce to taste
1/4 cup Cilantro; chopped

Mix first seven ingredients, through crabmeat. Season to taste with salt, hot sauce, and additional lime juice. Chill thoroughly and serve with tortilla chips.

Notes: Cooked cocktail shrimp can be used, chopped small. Bay scallops are a nice addition/substitution: quick poach in salted water until just barely done and chop. Parsley can be used instead of cilantro if you prefer.

Sausage Puffs

Recipe makes 60 Pieces

1 poundSausage
2 cupsFinely shredded Cheddar cheese
3 cupsButtermilk baking mix; (Bisquick)
1/2 cupMilk

Preheat oven to 385°.

Using hands, mix sausage, cheese, and baking mix. Rub sausage between fingers until it is incorporated into very small pieces into the mixture. Add milk and knead lightly to combine, just until mixture holds together. Roll mixture into rough one inch balls.

Bake on greased or foil lined cookie sheet until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm.

To freeze: allow balls to cool completely, bag and freeze. Heat in 325° oven until warmed through.

Notes: Add pepper or red pepper flakes if you wish. Try adding snipped chives or diced green chiles for a twist.  Serve with salsa, sour cream, or a dijon/mayo mix for dipping.

Turkey Meatballs with Pesto Cream Sauce

Yield: 5 Dozen

Light, tasty meatballs in a herby, light, white sauce. Delicious served with toothpicks as an appetizer, or serve over rice or egg noodles for an entree.

2 cups Milk                     1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Chicken broth       1 packet Knorr Pesto Sauce Mix
4 tablespoons Butter       1 package Turkey meatballs , Kroger (66 per bag)
4 tablespoons Flour

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour to pan and cook one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth and milk, stirring with a whisk until each addition is combined. Bring to a boil; cook 8-9 minutes until thickened to sauce consistancy, stirring constantly. Stir in half of the contents of packet half way through the boiling. When thickened, taste and add more seasoning mix as needed.

Warm meatballs as directed; when ready to serve, pour sauce over and toss lightly.

Notes:  Add more broth/milk and cook briefly if sauce is too thick. If sauce is too thin, sprinkle in Wondra flour by tablespoons while cooking until desired consistancy is reached.