Basil-flavored salty cheesecake with caramelized cherry tomatoes and almond granola

• 15 minutes to prepare •  20 minutes to cook •  3 hours to cool •  Serves 4

 

 

Sweet or salty?

People often ask the question "do you prefer sweet or salty? ".

I find the question too difficult to answer. I love salty recipes, crispy and tasty, smelling like freshly baked bread... just as much as I love my chocolate.
Wait, who said I have to choose? Today's recipe will introduce you to the best of both worlds. It is just a matter of getting creative so that you never have to choose again.

The perfect mix of sweet & salty: caramelized cherry tomatoes and almond granola over a fresh, creamy, basil-flavored cheesecake.
When our favorite dessert plays the salty card, we love it!


Here's what you will need for the 10-serving recipe:

200 g crushed Taralli
100 g butter
300 g ricotta cheese
200 g crescenza cheese
200 g cream cheese
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2.5 g gelatine sheets
1 sprig basil
200 g cherry tomatoes
50 g chopped almonds
1 tablespoon sugar
EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 150°C
2. Melt the butter in a bain-marie and let it cool down
3. Mix the crushed Taralli in a bowl with the melted butter
4. Take a large cheesecake mould and place in a round platter. On the base, place a layer of the Taralli mix of about 1 centimeter and press gently
5. Bake for 15 minutes at 150°C. Then, let it cool down
6. Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup of water in a medium bowl and dunk the gelatine sheets in it. Let them soften about 5 minutes
7. In another bowl, mix the cheeses to make a spreadable mixture. Wash and finely chop the basil, then add it to the mixture and mix well
8. Drain the gelatine sheets and place them in a small pan. Melt them over low heat and add it to the mixture, too. Mix again
9. Pour the cheese mixture over the Taralli baked layer and place in the refrigerator for about 3 hours
10. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat for a few minutes. Cut tomatoes by half and distribute them - with the cut side down - over the pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoons of EVO oil, add a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar
11. Cook over medium heat until the sugar begins to caramelize. Press the tomatoes with the back of a spoon and cook until the juice released by tomatoes evaporates, then let them cool down
12. In a pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, chopped almonds, and Parmesan cheese and work the mixture for 3 minutes over high heat until crispy
13. Remove the cheesecake from the mould and place caramelized cherry tomatoes on top. Garnish with the almond granola and serve

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.

Sometimes I wrestle with my inner demons.

Other times we just hug and eat cheesecake.