Dakos Savoury Greek Cheesecake

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This Dakos Savoury Greek Cheesecake, is the perfect appetizer when you need to feed a crowd.

I made this Dakos savoury Greek cheesecake during the Christmas holidays and everybody loved it! 

I was inspired by the Greek Dakos, which is a Cretan salad made on a barley rusk.

As a base, apart from the dakos rusk, I also used some, ordinary rusks and some PICK crackers.

I prepared the base the same way we make cheesecakes, only I added some olive oil as well.

For the filling I used two Greek cheeses:  feta and anthotyros (myzithra) as well as some cream cheese with herbs.

As a topping I used marinated and baked cherry tomatoes, some roasted red sweet peppers (Piperies Florinis) and gherkins. 

How to make a savoury Dakos Cheesecake

• Preheat the oven to 180o C / 350o F.
• In a small baking tin cut the cherry tomatoes in half and marinate them with all the ingredients. 
• Arrange cut side facing down and cover with aluminum foil and set aside.
• Powder both rusks and biscuits as well as almonds, separately in a food processor. 
• Put them in a spring form pan and add the butter and olive oil. Rub them with your fingers.
• Wet your hands with water and press the rusks on the base and sides of the baking tin.
• Put the both baking tins in the oven, covered with aluminum foil. 
• Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and continue baking the tomatoes for 15 more minutes.
• Meantime in the bowl of your mixer add the three cheeses and egg and whisk until creamy. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
• When the crust has cooled add the cheeses and spread.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• When the tomatoes can be handled, remove the skin.
• Decorate with baked cherry tomatoes, piperies Florinis and thin slices of gherkins and season with salt, pepper and oregano.
• Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Instead of gherkins you can add Kalamata or green olives or capers.  However, I preferred this colour combination as it was for the Christmas table.

I did not over bake the cherry tomatoes because I merely wanted to remove the skin.

My husband has a problem digesting the skin but also it would be easier to cut it into slices.

Update 2021:

This year just the decoration was slightly different:

It was decorated with roasted San Marzano tomatoes, roasted pepper from Florina, capers and caper leaves and a sprinkle of sweet paprika on top!

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!

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