Cream Cheese Dilemma from leftover Dragon Turd guts

This past Saturday, I decided to celebrate the 4th by experimenting with some Dragon Turds. My favorite version [until Sat.] was Jalapenos stuffed with chorizo and dates wrapped in bacon. However, this time I added sauteed red onions and cream cheese. Specifically, I sauteed the onions with the mexican chorizo, which was then mixed with an equal amount of cream cheese once cooled. I then stuffed that cheesy mixture into the peppers, including some chopped dates as well, finishing with the bacon wrap. The turds were then smoked using some maple wood. The good news is everything worked out great and they were the best Dragon Turds I've ever had. Here's a pic:



The bad news is I made twice as much of the mixture as was needed for 20 jalepenos. In case you're wondering, I went with 2 lbs of chorizo and 2 lbs of cream cheese (2 rectangular packages of Philly Cream Cheese).

What the hell do i do with the remaining mixture? I'm sure there are a variety of good eats I can make with this stuff but I'd be dead by the end of this week I trek down that path. Ideally, I'd love to freeze it and use it the next time I fire up some turds [insert joke here]. Can that be done with cream cheese? Any help/thoughts would be appreciated.

Unfortunately, unless it has been baked, i.e., in a cheesecake, cream cheese breaks down when you freeze it. Because of the water content, the cream cheese ends up kind of curdled. What if you make some sort of layered dish with tortillas and the mixture and some cheese? Bake it and then freeze it to be reheated at another time.

Ms. Ingie wrote:Unfortunately, unless it has been baked, i.e., in a cheesecake, cream cheese breaks down when you freeze it. Because of the water content, the cream cheese ends up kind of curdled. What if you make some sort of layered dish with tortillas and the mixture and some cheese? Bake it and then freeze it to be reheated at another time.

So does that mean that if I smoke more turds in the same manner, I should be able to freeze them since the cheese will then be baked?

Mrs. Ingie brings up a good point: why not bake it into several savory cheesecakes? You could do smaller ones in muffin tins, perfect size for whipping out when you need an appetizer...maybe add some chopped jalapeno and make a crust with crumbled fried bacon and you'd have Dragon Turd cakes...

Mhays wrote:Mrs. Ingie brings up a good point: why not bake it into several savory cheesecakes? You could do smaller ones in muffin tins, perfect size for whipping out when you need an appetizer...maybe add some chopped jalapeno and make a crust with crumbled fried bacon and you'd have Dragon Turd cakes...

I love lth...

Mhays wrote:Mrs. Ingie brings up a good point: why not bake it into several savory cheesecakes? You could do smaller ones in muffin tins, perfect size for whipping out when you need an appetizer...maybe add some chopped jalapeno and make a crust with crumbled fried bacon and you'd have Dragon Turd cakes...

Mhays,
Sorry, I forgot to ask you a question. I think your idea is fantastic and i think I'm going to try and pull it off. However, I'm not much of a baker. How would you suggest I make this awesome bacon crust?

Well, a typical cheesecake crust is made from butter and some kind of cracker crumbs; I'd render the bacon, use the fat instead of butter and combine rendered, finely crumbled bacon with the crumbs (I haven't tried it yet, but that's what I'd do.) Might even be delicious as part of a regular graham cracker crust, if you like a hint of sweet with your bacon - googling about uncovered this recipe - from Linda Ellerbee of all people - for a Stilton-bacon cheesecake with a regular graham cracker crust, so there is precedence.

Here's a Bacon-Onion cheesecake recipe you might be able to adapt.

I just had an odd thought. Rugelach dough is usually cream cheese based right? What about a savory form?

Or blob the stuff onto layers of butter-painted squares of Phyllo dough pressed into muffin tins and bake. Or combine it with spinach to fill ravioli (that'll make it seem healthy, right )? Or a stuffing for pasties/turnovers/pierogi?

Why not just smear Chorizo Cream Cheese on some toasted bagels and use the rest in some scrambled eggs? Would probably also make a wicked quiche.

Jamieson22 wrote:Why not just smear Chorizo Cream Cheese on some toasted bagels and use the rest in some scrambled eggs? Would probably also make a wicked quiche.

good call.

when I mix crab in with my cream cheese mix for ABT's, my wife uses the left over for bagels as you suggest.

the sleeve wrote:

Mhays wrote:Mrs. Ingie brings up a good point: why not bake it into several savory cheesecakes? You could do smaller ones in muffin tins, perfect size for whipping out when you need an appetizer...maybe add some chopped jalapeno and make a crust with crumbled fried bacon and you'd have Dragon Turd cakes...

Mhays,
Sorry, I forgot to ask you a question. I think your idea is fantastic and i think I'm going to try and pull it off. However, I'm not much of a baker. How would you suggest I make this awesome bacon crust?

You can make a crust-less savory cheesecake as well, then cut it on serve on crackers as an appetizer.