28 May 2013 No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

May 28, 2013 By

Cheesecake 2When I saw this beautiful dessert from the July 2003 issue of Bon Appetit, I knew it would be perfect for me Memorial Day barbecue. I’ve made some changes to the recipe and it’s light, pretty and delicious. I had the perfect quantity of blueberries from a giant container from my local Costco.

Crust with Butter

Crust with Butter

Crust Ingredients:

  • 9 whole Graham crackers or 1 ¼ cups Graham cracker crumbs
  • ½ cup old-fashioned oats (I used 2 envelopes of instant oatmeal and it was fine)
  • 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 5 Tbsp. butter, melted
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 12-ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 cups fresh blueberries
Whipped Cream Over Cheesecake

Whipped Cream Over Cheesecake

Topping Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 2-3 cups blueberries
  • 2/3 cup blueberry or strawberry jam
Crust Baked

Crust Baked

Crust Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Pulse first 4 ingredients in a food processor until mixture is finely ground.
  3. Add butter and vanilla to the crumb mixture and pulse a few times until moist crumbs form.
  4. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake crust until deep golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool.
Blueberries with Jam

Blueberries with Jam

Filling Directions:

  1. Pour 1/4 cup water into small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes.
  2. Stir over very low heat just until gelatin dissolves. Set aside.
  3. Blend cream cheese, cream, sugar, and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth. Add blueberries and puree until smooth with some blueberry bits, about 20 seconds.
  4. With food processor running, add warm gelatin mixture through feed tube and blend well.
  5. Pour filling into crust. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead).
  6. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Transfer to platter.

Cheesecake 1Topping Directions:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream and sugar until firm peaks form.
  2. Spread cream mixture thickly over top of cheesecake.
  3. Place blueberries in a medium bowl.
  4. Heat jam in microwave for 20 seconds or until just melted.
  5. Pour jam over blueberries and toss to coat. Mound coated blueberries in center of cream, leaving 1-inch plain border. Chill cake at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Serves 10.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , ,
8 August 2010 Zesty Key Lime Tart

Zesty Key Lime Tart

August 8, 2010 By

Torched Meringue

My guy, Pat, adores key lime pie.  For our first date, over 10 years ago, he cooked a fabulous meal and baked a key lime pie for me.  He was so proud of his foodie achievements, and we laugh to this day, about the overuse of green food coloring which turned the pie nearly fluorescent green.  The following recipe is a light and fresh version of the typical key lime pie.

Crust Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Egg Yolks & Lime Zest

Egg Yolks & Lime Zest

Filling Ingredients:

  • 4 egg yolks (save egg whites for meringue)
  • 1-14 ounce can condensed milk
  • 1 tbsp grated lime zest
  • 1/2 cup key lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Meringue Ingredients:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • Pinch salt

Crust Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter in a medium bowl.
  3. Press crumb mixture into bottom and partially up sides of 9-inch springform pan using a spoon or a small measuring cup.
  4. Freeze crust for 30 minutes.
Yolks and Limes

Yolks and Limes

Filling Instructions:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and light in color, about 5 minutes.
  2. Turn off mixer and add lime zest and condensed milk.  Combine on slow speed for 1 minute.
  3. While still on slow speed, add half the lime juice, then the cream of tartar, then the remaining lime juice.  Mix until blended, about 1 minute.
  4. Pour the filling into the frozen crumb crust and bake 15 minutes, until mostly set.
  5. Freeze tart for 3 hours.

Meringue Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 500 degrees (if using the oven to brown the meringue).
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
  4. Incorporate the sugar mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the egg whites, beating well after each sugar addition.  Continue to beat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.
  5. Spoon or pipe using a pastry bag, the meringue over the tart filling.
  6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until meringue top is browned.  Conversely, brown the meringue with a kitchen torch.

Notes:  If key lime juice is unavailable, you may substitute with lime juice. Not a fan of meringue?  Use whipped cream as an alternative topping for the tart!

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , , ,