Pesto Cheesecake

This savory cheesecake with fill you up quickly! Good as a cocktail munchie for dinner parties...

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Yields: 1 cheesecake

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1⁄4 cup  dry breadcrumbs
• 2  tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1  cup ricotta cheese
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne
• 3  large eggs
• 1⁄4 cup pine nuts

Directions

1. For Pesto: Use ½ cup commercial or homemade pesto sauce.
2. For Cheesecake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rub butter over bottom and sides of 9-inch spring form pan. Mix breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons Parmesan and coat pan with the crumb mixture.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, ricotta, Parmesan, salt and cayenne in a large bowl until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Transfer half of mixture to medium bowl.
4. Mix pesto into remaining half. Pour pesto mixture into prepared pan; smooth top. Carefully spoon plain mixture over; gently smooth top.
5. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup pine nuts and bake until center no longer moves when pan is shaken, about 45 minutes.
6. Transfer to rack and cool completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.