Feta, Shrimp and Fennel Cheesecake Topped with Shrimp/Fennel/ Parsley Salad

I usually spend the first two weeks of the month ruminating on the Royal Foodie Joust ingredients. Don’t know what I am talking about? Leftover Queen has an event monthly in which every month entrants submit recipes. This month the ingredients are fennel, dairy and parsley. When I told my friend about the ingredients, she asked if I had picked them because I use these three ingredient in concert all the time.

For this month, I decided to submit my special brunch cheesecake. It is fancy, tasty and not so overwhelmingly anise-y. In fact, it is a great entry into the world of fennel; and it uses the whole plan—seeds in the crust; bulbs in the cheesecake, and fronds in the salad. It add to it, the process is not hard.

Recipe:
Feta, Shrimp and Fennel Cheesecake Topped with Shrimp/Fennel/ Parsley Salad

Feta Cheesecake:
Adapted from Alton Brown Good Eats.

Turn oven to 375

Pulverize enough fennel seed rusk (see link) to make 1 cup of crumbs. (I used a mortar and pestle, because I had no idea how many.) IF can’t find rusk (and you called your local Indian store) just use breadcrumbs and add fennel seed.

Combine breadcrumbs with
1 egg white
2 T melted butter

Pat into a 7 inch springmold pan

Bake 8 minutes

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine
12 oz softened cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
¾ cup Greek feta cheese
1.5 T of cornstark
salt to taste (that feta can be salt)
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Fold in
1/3 of cup puree fennel bulb
½ cup diced shrimp (half-cooked)

Pour batter into cooled springform.

Cook at 250 for 1 hour. Rest in oven (unopened for 1 hr). Chill 1-2 hours.

Salad:
Slice
1/3 cup fennel very finely

Add:
1/3 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup shrimp, diced
2 T feta

Dress the salad with grapeseed oil and rice wine vinegar.