No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

When 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 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

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 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

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.

Topping 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.