Top Pick Of The Week

November 21, 2006

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Savory Cheesecake Slice
Savory Secret™ is an appetizer cheesecake. It’s a variation on serving cheese with cocktails, and makes a delicious first course.
WHAT IT IS: Plain and simple, it’s cheesecake that’s savory instead of sweet. It arrives frozen, at the ready whenever you need to entertain (or do some high-class snacking).
WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: All-natural, quality ingredients, no fillers. As good as we could make ourselves (and did, until we discovered these time-savers).
WHY WE LOVE IT: If you love cheese and you love cheesecake...ask no more! Plus, the convenience of having an impressive product like this in the freezer, ready to eat in 3 minutes, can’t be beat!
WHERE TO BUY IT: SavorySecret.biz.


Savory Secret:
Cheesecake Nouveau

CAPSULE REPORT: If you like cheesecake but have never had a savory one made with robust cheeses, salt, herbs and vegetables—no sugar—we’re about to introduce you to a wonderful world. If you know about savory cheesecake and long for a steady supply that you don’t have to make yourself, this is your lucky NIBBLE.

A savory cheesecake looks similar to its sweet sister. But instead of reaching for the strawberry topping and a cup of coffee, you spread it on a cracker and pour a glass of wine. Or, for an impressive and effortless first course, serve it by the slice, perhaps with some cornichons and a bibb lettuce garnish, or with a blanket of marinated grape tomatoes. We were thrilled to discover the line from Savory Secret in flavors like Sundried Tomato & Basil, Gorgonzola & Pear, Roasted Garlic & Chive and Smoked Salmon & Dill. We’re passing the savory secret along to you. With the holiday season upon us, this is a secret you may not want to keep. Read the full review below.

Great Books For Easy Entertaining

Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook Hors D'Oeuvres Good Things For Easy Entertaining
Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook, by Martha Stewart. A dream book of beautifully photographed, exquisite nibbles, tastes and bites with the recipes and instructions to re-create them at home. Martha’s tips and notes are sprinkled throughout the text. More than 300 color photographs. Click here for more information or to purchase. Hors d’Oeuvres, by Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell. Le Cordon Bleu cooking instructor Treuille and caterer Blashford-Snell ignite a passion for preparing gorgeous little tidbits. Learn to prepare more than 250 simple-yet-sensational canapés, with actual-size photographs of every recipe. Click here for more information or to purchase. Good Things for Easy Entertaining: The Best of Martha Stewart Living, by the staff of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Full of great tips and ideas for the host or hostess who wants to entertain elegantly or make a splash without spending a fortune. Many ideas show how creativity and ingenuity trump a big budget. Click here for more information or to purchase.

Cheesecake Nouveau: Savory Secret Appetizer Cheesecakes

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When clients rave about your savory cheesecakes year after year, it’s time to take them on the road. Caterers Amy Hakola and Susannah Callaway had served their appetizer cheesecakes to Nashville fans, hand-blending the freshest cheeses, herbs and spices and baking them in a golden brown pastry crust. Could the self-professed quality-control fanatics turn a hometown favorite into a nationally-marketed success?

The answer, of course, is yes. The cheesecakes are still hand-blended and each tiny thyme leaf is still hand-picked from its stem, so only the most tender and flavorful leaves are included. That’s why, as you taste your first forkful (or crackerful) of Savory Secret cheesecake, instead of something blandly rich, you get something gloriously seasoned and memorable.

Whole Cheesecake
Don’t let the fruit fool you: This cheesecake is full of
savory smoked salmon and dill.

A Cheesecake For Every Day Of The Week

Of course you won’t want to eat one every day of the week: too much of a good thing spoils the anticipation. But enjoy the fantasy for a moment as you peruse the flavors and think of which one you would eat first. Since Savory Secret cheesecakes are such a perfect complement to wine and are sold at a number of wineries, the company includes suggested wine pairings. But—any wine you like will do!

  • Five Herb. Cream cheese with five herbs and gentle undertones of pepper. Pair with Merlot or Riesling.
  • Gorgonzola & Pear. You can go savory and still serve your sweet tooth. Pungent gorgonzola and sweet, juicy pears combine in this best-selling flavor. Pair with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or sparkling wine.
  • Mushroom & Fontina. Nutty fontina cheese, the woodsy flavor of mushrooms and accents of thyme. Pair with Pinot Noir.
  • Red Pepper, Pine Nuts & Feta. A Greek-inspired theme of tangy feta, sweet roasted red peppers and pine nuts. Pair with Shiraz.
  • Roasted Garlic & Chive. A nice amount of garlic and fresh chives. Pair with Beaujolais or Riesling.
  • Smoked Salmon & Dill. Elegant smoked salmon contrasts beautifully with the aromatic dill. Pair with Pinot Grigio or Champagne.
  • Sundried Tomato & Basil. Cream cheese and parmesan blended with the rich intensity of sundried tomato and just-picked, sweet basil. Pair with Zinfandel.

Picking Basil
Partners Amy Hakola and Susannah Callaway, who is the company’s chef, inspect a field of hothouse basil.

How to choose? There are no wrong choices. Your own palate will guide you to your favorite flavor, be it garlic, smoked salmon, feta or the others. We love the Gorgonzola & Pear—we even served it for dessert, instead of a cheese course. We understand why it’s the best-seller: America adores things on the sweet side! But if you don’t, pick another flavor. We were equally happy with Roasted Garlic, Smoked Salmon, Sundried Tomato & Basil...well, with all of them!

First Course
Serve as a first course; in this case, with a topping of tomatoes in an herbed vinaigrette.


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You can serve the cheesecakes with crackers, party breads, or sliced regular or toasted baguette as a cocktail nibble. But an excellent use of the cheesecakes is as a first course. They can be sliced or quartered, and plated in a variety of ways. At the left, a broad slice is topped with halved grape tomatoes in a vinaigrette. You can stand a wedge in a pool of purée—red pepper, for example—to match the flavor. Or: add a matching garnish, like a fanned fresh pear or a poached pear half (or other fruit) with the Gorgonzola & Pear. One cheesecake serves 4 ample wedges (cheesecake is rich!) or 8 smaller ones with a salad or other items on the plate.

Savory Secret Appetizer Cheesecakes also can be stuffed into chicken, fish, beef or pork. The leftovers can fill deviled eggs or can be spread on sandwiches.  Each package includes recipes for use in sauces, salads and more...but we’re not betting that anyone who opens a package will have much in the way of “leftovers.”

Savory Secret cheesecakes can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight, or heated frozen for 15 minutes in a regular oven or for three minutes in a microwave. That’s enough of a reason to uncork a bottle of wine and invite a few people over for an instant party.

—Karen Hochman

FORWARD THIS NIBBLE to anyone who is enamored of cheese, cheesecake or the concept of easy entertaining.

SAVORY SECRET CHEESECAKES

Five Herb; Gorgonzola & Pear; Mushroom &
Fontina; Roasted Garlic & Chive; Red Pepper,
Pine Nuts & Feta; Smoked Salmon & Dill;
Sundried Tomato & Basil

  • 20-Ounce Cheesecake
    Serves 8-10 As An Hors D’Oeuvre
    $19.95

Purchase online at SavorySecret.biz

Click the “Buy Now” circle at the bottom
of
the Products page.

Telephone: 1.615.248.4444, 8:30 a.m. to
5:00 p.m., Central Time
Fax: 1.615.248.4466

Shipping additional. Prices and flavor availability are verified at publication but are subject to change.

Savory Secret Box

Keep them in the freezer for entertaining, buy extra for
gifts.

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Read about some of our other
favorite products for entertaining:
Click on the links at the right.

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