Not long ago my friend, surf buddy, insurance entrepreneur and all-around-good-guy Matt Goulet came by Hancock Hall for dinner. Being the honorable sort and a dyed-in-his-skin-true-blood-stand-up-New-England-Yankee, he didn't come empty handed. Instead, Matt brought a fine bottle of Chardonnay and something I had never heard of before: a Wicked Kickin Savory Cheese Cake.
HUH? A savory cheesecake? Whaaaaaaaaaat?
"Savory" and "Cheesecake" are two words I've never associated with each other. Sweet offerings such as strawberries, cherries, blueberries and a host of other things I'm familiar with on cheesecake. Pepperoni, salmon, chicken, spinach or lobster as cheesecake ingredients? Not so much. To say I was intrigued by Matt's giant hockey puck of cheesy mystery is an understatement.
Matt explained that Wicked Kickin Savory Cheesecakes offer a variety of flavor combinations, each with their own unique name that is associated with people or places in Massachusetts (the company is located in Dartmouth, MA). Among their many offerings are seafood cheesecakes, Mexican cheesecake and even a barbecued pork cheesecake. For that evening's experiment he wisely chose the Portuguese-style "New Beige*", a savory cheesecake that listed amongst its ingredients: linguica (a spicy sausage), crushed red pepper, onions, peppers and cheddar cheese. Right off, we hit a snag. What, no Chourico? Don't they know that one of the mantras of Chop Onions, Boil Water is "EVERYTHING is BETTER with CHOURICO!"? I wouldn't let that huge disappointment kill my curiosity though so bravely and selflessly, I proceeded on.
My wife warmed the Wicked Kickin "New Beige" Cheesecake per Matt's instructions. Rather than trying it with crackers as he had also suggested, I instead tried a small "naked" slice to better sample and judge it for this review.
It was fragrant and smelled delicious, its aroma reminded me of pizza. Its consistency was much lighter than I had anticipated, slightly quiche-like but also its own thing. So I grabbed a forkful and the real test commenced. Warm and richly flavored but surprisingly light, a cheesy, velvety goodness punctuated, yet balanced by the big, bright flavors of the linguica, peppers and onions. There was no need to take time to process it, it was good right off. In fact it was delicious! DELICIOUS I TELL YOU! My wife agreed and subsequent samplings did not diminish our opinions.
In my opinion, Wicked Kickin Savory Cheesecakes are perfect as appetizers, hors d'oeuvres or as a "dip" (Matt was on target with his crackers). Could they be offered as a main dish? Certainly, and there are many sides that they could be interestingly coupled with.
I give the Wicked Kickin Savory Cheesecake "New Beige" the Chop Onions, Boil Water seal of approval. Would I buy one myself? Yes, they're perfect for entertaining! Pop one out on the table at a party and you are going to see a lot of pleasantly surprised guests! Thanks for introducing us to them Matt, we're fans.
All Wicked Kickin Savory Cheesecakes are made fresh to order at their Dartmouth, Massachusetts location. Out of state orders are shipped frozen. For a full menu, faq and other information or to order your own surprisingly delicious Wicked Kickin Savory Cheesecake visit their website at: http://www.wickedkickin.com. You can also E-mail them at: info@wickedkickin.com, or call: (508) 858-9923.
*"New Beige" is the nickname for the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts which has a large Portuguese community which also explains this cheesecakes ingredients.
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