Caesar Salad Cheesecake Has Got To Be A Joke... Right?

I'm going to start off by breaking the fourth wall with a little insider info — the person who writes an article isn't always the one who comes up with the title. If it had been up to me to tackle the subject of Caesar salad cheesecake, I'd never have assumed it was meant to be a joke, because why should cheesecake necessarily be a dessert? Savory cookies are a thing, ranging from the sweet-and-meat mashup that is bacon chocolate chip cookies to holiday treats like our cran-rosemary corn cookies. A person who posted on Instagram about Caesar cheesecake, though, seemed to be treating the recipe in a tongue-in-cheek way, leaving us wondering as to their actual intent.

The Instagram account Side Piece Kitchen introduced the concept with the words, "I've been trying to navigate a subtle balance of eating healthy while still indulging in some of my favorite desserts." They go on to use words like "Winchester sauce" and "parm of John" or "parm of Juan" throughout, as well as referencing Caesar salad being invented by Little Caesars (which it wasn't), thus adding to the jokey quality. The cake itself consists of cream cheese batter flavored with anchovies, Parmesan, Worcestershire, lemon juice, and garlic baked in a crust made from crushed croutons and topped with dressed romaine and Caesar dressing ganache. The only unusual thing was that the cheesecake seemed to have been made with standard sweetened batter. Even so, the people who tasted it seemed to find it pleasant enough.

The first time I encountered the idea of savory cheesecakes was maybe 15 years ago. I recall baking several different kinds: bacon cheddar, jalapeño cheddar, a cheddar-pepper jack blend flavored with taco seasoning, and havarti with smoked salmon. Each one was topped off with strained sour cream, which, when chilled, sets up into the perfect savory "frosting." While I'd be a bit dubious about wasting time, effort, and "parm of Juan" (along with all the other ingredients) to make a joke dessert like the Caesar salad cheesecake shown on Instagram, there's one simple thing that would transform it into an amazing appetizer for anyone unafraid of anchovies: Simply omit the sugar from the cheesecake batter.

Because savory cheesecake can be a bit rich to eat on its own, I like to serve it with a side of crackers, tortilla chips, or another dipper. With this cheesecake, though, I'd instead take a baguette, slice it thin, and make oversized croutons to help to carry out the Caesar salad theme.