Biltmore Estate offers prime Southern dishes

I've never visited the grand Biltmore Estate, "Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, N.C.," but I'm certainly going to make a number of the recipes found in the "Bounty of Biltmore Cookbook: A recipe Collection From Biltmore Estate," (Oxmoor House).

Biltmore Estate, a 250-room French Renaissance chateau was built by George W. Vanderbilt in 1895. It took 1,000 men six years to build.

Today it is a grand place to visit, offering weekend jazz concerts, themed holiday programs and a host of special events. There are also shops and restaurants.

The cookbook offers a delicious variety of Southern specialties served in the estate's restaurants. The South has always been known for its gracious hospitality. It translates well through this appealing recipe collection.

This charming cookbook was compiled and edited by Whitney Wheeler Pickering.

If you can't find "Bounty of Biltmore Cookbook" in local bookstores, it can be ordered by calling (800) 968-0558.

Make the following savory cheesecake the star of your next wine-and-cheese gathering. The stately presentation pleases the eye, while the savory flavor delights the palate.

Spinach-Herb Cheesecake

2 large tomatoes, sliced

3/4 tsp salt, divided

3/4 tsp pepper, divided

1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted

1/4 c. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

2 Tbs butter or margarine, melted

3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (15-oz) carton ricotta cheese

1 (8-oz) package feta cheese, crumbled

3 large eggs

4 c. loosely packed shredded fresh spinach

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 Tbs all-purpose flour

1 Tbs chopped fresh dill

Sprinkle tomato slices with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drain on paper towels 10 minutes.

Process pine nuts in a food processor until ground. Stir together pine nuts, breadcrumbs, and melted butter. Press into bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add ricotta cheese, feta cheese, and eggs, beating until blended. Stir in spinach, next 3 ingredients, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 325 F for 15 minutes. Top with tomato slices and bake 30 more minutes or until set. Turn oven off; leave cheesecake in oven 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Gently run a knife around edge of cheesecake and carefully remove sides of pan; cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or cold. Yield: 12 appetizer or 8 main-dish servings.

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops With Summer Peach Salsa

4 (6 oz) center-cut pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)

1/4 c. soy sauce

3 Tbs minced shallot

2 Tbs dry white wine

2 Tbs fresh lime juice

1 Tbs minced, peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

Summer Peach Salsa

Trim fat from pork. Combine pork and next 7 ingredients in a large heavy-duty, zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade. Bring marinade to a boil; set aside.

Grill pork, covered with grill lid, over medium-hot coals (350 to 400 F) 7 minutes on each side or until done, basting frequently with reserved marinade. Serve with Summer Peach Salsa. Yield: 4 servings.

Summer Peach Salsa

1 c. diced peaches

1/2 c. diced plums

1/4 c. minced shallot

3 Tbs orange juice

2 Tbs minced fresh parsley

1 tsp grated lime rind

2 Tbs fresh lime juice

1 1/2 Tbs chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper

1 Tbs minced fresh mint

1 Tbs honey

1 tsp minced, peeled fresh ginger

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill. Yield: 2 cups.

Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie

3 (1-oz) squares semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 Tbs butter, softened

2 Tbs whipping cream

Cream-Filled Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Pastry Shell

2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/3 c. sugar

1 c. creamy peanut butter

3/4 c. whipping cream

2 Tbs sifted powdered sugar

Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat until blended and smooth, stirring often. Spread chocolate mixture in bottom of pastry shell; let cool 5 minutes. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar and peanut butter, beating well. Spoon filling over chocolate mixture in pastry shell; smooth with a spatula.

Beat whipping cream at medium speed with an electric mixer until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Spoon sweetened whipped cream into a pastry bag; pipe cream onto pie using a large star tip. Freeze until firm. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Yield: One 9-inch pie.

Cream-Filled Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Pastry Shell

2 c. cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (about 20 cookies)

2 Tbs butter, melted

Combine crumbs and melted butter in a medium bowl. Firmly press mixture evenly in bottom and up sides of a well-greased 9-inch pie plate. Yield: One 9-inch pastry shell.

Use an electric blender or food processor to produce smooth crumbs.

(Our chefs pipe decorative mounds of whipped cream to top this lush pie, but swirling the cream on top works just as well. If you choose to pipe it, chill the pastry bag and its tip first. This keeps the heat of your hand from melting the whipped cream.)

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