Shelly's Recipe

SAUSAGE PESTO TORTE

Category: Hot

1 pkg pork sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained
1 refrigerated pie crust
24 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained well and finely chopped
1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
Garnish: thin tomato wedges or roasted red pepper strips fresh basil or Italian parsley leaves (optional)

Lightly grease bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan. If using a silver pan, preheat oven to 325. For a dark non-stick pan, preheat to 300. Remove rim from pan; press crust gently onto bottom of pan and trim edges to fit. Bake crust for 5 minutes; set aside to cool.

Mix cream cheese, sour cream and salt until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine cooked sausage and sun-dried tomatoes with 2 cups of cheese mixture; stir well. Spread sausage mixture even over crust; top with remaining cheese mixture. Spoon rounded tsp of pesto randomly over batter.

Cut through pesto and surface of batter with a knife, using a swirling motion for a marbled effect. Bake on the middle oven rack at 400 for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 200 and bake 55-60 minutes longer, or until center is just set.

Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing rim of pan from cake; run a knife or metal spatula between cake and rim of pan to loosen. Cool another 30 minutes before slicing or refrigerate immediately up to one day in advance of serving time (to reheat torte, cover loosely with foil; bake at 350 for 25 minutes). Garnish with tomato or roasted red pepper strips and fresh herbs if desired. Serve warm within two hours.