Cheddar-Chile Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup fine breadcrumbs, toasted
• 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 6 ounces ham, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 3/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 3/4 cup chopped scallions
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoons jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 clove garlic, halved

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Mix breadcrumbs and the 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle mixture into pan, turning to coat. Refrigerate.
3. Dice about half of ham; reserve remaining slices. Mix diced ham with remaining ingredients in blender or processor until smooth.
4. Pour slightly more than half of filling into prepared pan. Top with reserved ham slices in even layer. Cover with remaining filling. Set pan on baking sheet.
5. Bake for 1 1/4 hours.
6. Turn oven off and cool cheesecake about 1 hour with door ajar.
7. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Remove sides of pan. Cool to room temperature before serving.