LUCIUS FONTENOT’S HOG’S HEAD CHEESE CHEESECAKE

Prep Time: 6 Hours
Yields: 1 (9-inch) Pie

Comment:
Lucius Fontenot, a great Cajun cook, submitted this recipe to our Stove Hounds recipe contest on our Stirrin’ It Up radio show. He was chosen as the first winner of our guest chefs program to come into the studio and cook with the crew. He was generous enough to share the recipe.

Ingredients for Crust:
1 box Lance Captain’s Wafers®
1 cup melted butter

Method for Crust:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place crackers into a food processor and pulse until all crackers are coarsely chopped and broken into small pieces. Place crackers into a large bowl, blend in melted butter and when well mixed, press into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
  
Ingredients for Hog’s Head Cheese Cheesecake:
1 large hog’s head, cleaned
4 pig’s feet
6 yellow onions, peeled and quartered
1 quarter celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
6–8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1 cup finely sliced green onion tops
1 cup minced parsley

Method for Hog’s Head Cheese Cheesecake:
Place a large crawfish boiling pot with basket insert over propane burner. Place hog’s head, pig’s feet, onions, celery and garlic into the pot. Add enough water to cover the hog’s head by 6 inches. NOTE: Additional water may be needed to cover the ingredients during the boiling process. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, reduce to a rapid simmer and season generously with salt and peppers. Cook 3–4 hours or until meat is easily pulling away from the bones and falling apart. Remove basket and set meat and bones aside to cool, discarding vegetables. Reserve 3 cups cooking liquid and set aside. Once meat is cool, remove from bones and clean away any sinew and bone fragments. Using your home-style meat grinder, grind or finely chop the meat. Place prepared meat into a bowl then mix in green onions, parsley and enough reserved cooking liquid to create a slightly loose mixture similar to a raw meat loaf. Adjust seasons if necessary. Pour contains of bowl over prepared pie crust in springform pan and add additional liquid until it  becomes just slightly visible through the meat. Cover with clear wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. As a precaution, you may wish to add one (0.25-ounce) envelop of Knox® unflavored gelatin to the 3 cups reserved liquid prior to use. When ready, cut into individual slices and serve.