Having friends over to watch the Pro Bowl or the Super Bowl? This scrumptious cheese torte recipe, from mom’s home state of Kentucky, can be made up to one month ahead and frozen, allowing for stress-free entertaining.
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Kentucky Cheese Torte
- Yield: 20 or more 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 ounces grated extra sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 packages (8 ounce) cream cheese, at room temperature, separated
- 1/3 cup mango chutney, large mango pieces chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1/3 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and wrung dry
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Line a 6-inch spring form pan with plastic wrap.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, pecans, chopped onion and enough mayonnaise to hold the mixture together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread half of mixture into prepared dish. Place the dish, but not the remaining cheese mixture, in the refrigerator.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese with the chutney and cayenne pepper. Spread evenly over the cheese layer in the dish. Return to the refrigerator.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the remaining package of cream cheese, bacon, spinach, garlic and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread evenly over chutney mixture. Top with remaining cheddar cheese mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down on top layer. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve. Serve with crackers.
Notes
Make ahead: torte can be made up to 1 month ahead and frozen. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then at room temperature for several hours.
LEE,
I JUST MADE THE KENTUCKY CHEESE TORTE FOR MY DINNER PARTY FRIDAY AND CANNOT WAIT TO TRY IT. I DO HAVE A QUESTION. ON FRIDAY WHEN I PULL IT OUT OF REFRIGERATOR HOW LONG TO SIT OUT IF I HAVE HAD IT IN THE REFRIGERATOR ALL WEEK AND WHEN I TAKE IT OUT OF BUNDT PAN AND LIFT PLASTIC OUT I GUESS I TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN, IS THAT RIGHT//
THANKS AND WILL RATE IT AFTER THAT NIGHT. LOVE YOUR RECIPES.
I’ve never made this torte in a bundt pan (just a springform pan) but on Friday I would unmold it immediately – it will come out easier when it’s cold. Put a plate on top, flip it over (so the pan’s now on top) and remove the pan. The torte may need a bit of coaxing to get it out – the plastic wrap should help. Remove the plastic wrap and smooth over any wrinkles over with a knife. Lightly cover it with plastic wrap again and let it sit for at least 1 hour, maybe 1 1/2 hours, before serving. Excited to hear how it turns out! It’s a favorite in our house.
I DID USE A SPRING FORM PAN AND IT TURNED OUT BEAUTIFUL. WE HAD IT FOR OUR DINNER PARTY AND EVEN THE CHEF ASK FOR THE RECIPE. MANY THANKS FOR SHARING. I AM TAKING IT TO ANOTHER DINNER PARTY SATURDAY. THANK YOU
★★★★★
Excellent! Thanks for the feedback.
I have friends who don’t like mangoes. What other chutney would be good with this?
I think most any other fruit chutney (peach, pear, etc.) would work. Or peach or apricot jam – maybe even fig jam or the fig spread available in the deli section of many grocery stores. Fig spread can be pretty strong, so I would reduce the quantity a bit.
Let us know what you use and how it turns out!
Should I use a mixer to combine the first ingredients
Thanks
Good idea!