Blueberry Cheesecake

It all began in Greece and since then history has handed down many cheesecake variations. Cheesecakes, like many other desserts, have been thrown into many experiments. Here’s my version of this delectable dessert: soft, creamy and replete with beautiful blueberries. Lush, frosty blueberries elevate the taste and beauty of any dessert. The sweetness is counter-balanced by the tanginess of cream cheese topped with the tantalizing freshness of blueberry compote.

Ingredients

Blueberry Compote

2 cups blueberries

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla

Cheesecake

¾ cup heavy cream

8 ounces (227 g) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assembly

Dessert glasses

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons blue sugar sprinkles

Instructions

1. Place honey and the blue sugar sprinkles into two separate shallow dishes/plates. Spread honey around the shallow dish/plate using a spoon. Dip the dessert glasses in honey just until it coats the edges and then dip them into the blue coloured sugar sprinkles. Set aside.

2. Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often and crushing the blueberries with the back of a spoon for about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

3. Chill the balloon whisk and bowl of your electric beater in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Once chilled, pour the cold cream into the bowl and whip until it holds its shape. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

4. Beat the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in the electric beater until smooth. To the cream cheese mix, stir in half of the cooled blueberry compote and fold in the whipped cream.

5. Spoon or pipe the cheesecake mixture into the prepared dessert glasses and allow to set in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Top the cheesecake with the remaining compote. Serve chilled.

(Tip: You could use crumbled cookies pressed down the in bottom of the glass as a base. Vanilla wafer cookies also make a delicious crust.)