Green Chili Cheesecake/Mango Salsa

First, let me say: THIS PHOTO DOES NOT DO THIS RECIPE JUSTICE. This is an appetizer we made at a restaurant I worked at in Minnesota, the owner a true foodie. I could live on this stuff. It has it all.....creaminess, spiciness, crunchiness, and GORGEOUS color!!! It was a top-seller at the restaurant and makes such a beautiful presentation!

The recipe below is for a large 8-9" cake, but I cut the recipe in half and line 9 holes in a regular cupcake pan and fill them with the "dough." You would then have 9 individual cheesecakes (as shown above). These cheesecakes freeze beautifully, so you can make a bunch of them and freeze them, take them out the day before (or just a few hours before), and as long as you have some of this wonderful salsa and chips on hand, you've got yourself a wonderful appetizer.

GREEN CHILI CHEESECAKE

1 1/2 cups roasted poblano peppers (place poblanos on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, broil on high, turn about 3 times until the entire pepper is blackened and blistered. Then, place in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and let steam so the skins will peel off easily. When I halved this recipe, I need 2-3 poblanos, depending on size, to get the 3/4 cup chopped peppers I needed. If you do the large cheesecake, you'll probably need about 5-6 peppers, depending on size)

1 1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

16 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp butter, softened

4 Tbsp chopped marinated jalapenos

1 Tbsp minced fresh dill leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mango Salsa (recipe below)

Blue Tortilla Chips

Roast and peel poblanos. Remove tops and seeds and finely chop.

In a food processor blend sour cream and eggs, add cream cheese and butter and blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to bow and stir in poblanos, jalapenos, cheeses, dill, and cilantro. Pour into a 8-9" springform pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 for about 25 minutes, until center is just set but will still "jiggle." Don't overbake.

Cool to room temp and serve or freeze/refrigerate. Top with Mango Salsa and serve with blue tortilla chips.

MANGO SALSA

(I cut the recipe in half so I could use the jarred Mango sections you can find in the produce department.....it is a jar of 20 oz mango slices and SO much easier than trying to use fresh mangoes)

20 oz jar mango slices

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 chopped finely minced red onion

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

Stir all ingredients together.

NOTE: I'll be saving some of this salsa and serving it with a crock-pot chicken sometime next week. Stay tuned.