Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Pear Onion Jam

Much like the Greek Cheesecake that I made for our Cheesecake Extravaganza, this one was also extremely popular. Something about blue cheese, pears, and caramelized onions is a magical combination. Who am I kidding, anything with caramelized onions is magical in my book! Still, it was the jam that put this recipe over the top!

This is one of those repeat recipes that I can see myself making for many different parties...I can already anticipate that people will be requesting it again and again! It's the perfect accompaniment to green apples, pears, and crackers. Again, I made 1/3 of this recipe which yielded two 4-inch springforms. If you choose to make the big (9-inch) one, make sure you have some friends to share it with, although I don't think you'll be sorry if you end up eating leftovers for a few days!


One Year Ago: Blueberry Lime Scones

Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Pear Onion Jam
from Pink Parsley

Ingredients:
-3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (can use 1/3 less fat), softened to room temperature
-8 oz. blue cheese, crumbles
-6 oz. Asiago cheese, shredded
-4 large eggs
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

for the jam-
-4 cups onions, diced
-2 tsp olive oil
-2 cups peeled and chopped pears
-2 tbsp raspberry or pear vinegar
-1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
-1/4 tsp kosher salt
-pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. To make the cheesecake, preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the cream cheese, asiago cheese, and blue cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the cream and pepper and mix to combine.
3. Pour the mixture into a springform pan and bake uncovered, in a water bath, until browned on top and barely set in the center (45-50 minutes). Cool completely and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
4. To make the jam, saute onions in the oil over medium heat until softened and browned. Reduce heat and cook an additional 10-15 minutes, until they begin to caramelized. Add the pears, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and cayenne. Cook until pears are slightly softened but still crisp.
5. With a slotted spoon, remove the pears and onions from the skillet and place in a medium bowl, leaving behind as much of the liquid as possible. Increase heat to medium and cook until the mixture has thickened to a glaze. Mix into the pears and onions, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. To serve, pour the jam over the cheesecake, then remove the sides of the springform pan. Serve with crackers, bread, or apple slices.