CRAWFISH CHEESECAKE II, beurre blanc

Crawfish Cheesecake II

Ingredients

• ½ (13.7-ounce) box Ritz crackers
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• ½ pound andouille sausage, sliced
• ½ pound crawfish tail meat
• ¼ cup chopped fresh jalapeño pepper
• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup Crawfish Beurre Blanc, recipe follows

Instructions

• 1
  Preheat oven to 325°.
• 2
  In the bowl of a food processor, add crackers, and process until finely chopped. In a medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
  Bake 10 minutes; set aside.
• 3
  In a medium skillet over medium high heat, add sausage, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add crawfish and jalapeño, and cook until jalapeño softens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside, and let cool.
• 4
  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add crawfish mixture, thyme, salt, and pepper, and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition.
• 5
  Pour cream cheese mixture over prepared crust. Set springform pan in a roasting pan, and fill with water half-way up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until set and cheesecake jiggles lightly in the center, about
  1 hour. Remove from oven, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 3 days before serving. Serve with Crawfish Beurre Blanc, if desired.

Crawfish Beurre Blanc Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• ¼ pound crawfish tail meat
• ¼ cup chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed

Instructions

• 1
  In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Stir in crawfish, shallot, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until shallot is tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside, and let cool.
• 2
  In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine wine, vinegar, hot sauce, thyme, peppercorns, and garlic, and cook until reduced by one-third, about
  15 minutes. Strain liquid through
  a fine mesh strainer; return
  liquid to pan.
• 3
  Add cream, and cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about
• 4
  10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in butter, one cube at a time, until butter is melted and the sauce is smooth; stir in remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Stir in crawfish mixture. Serve immediately.