Blueberry cheesecake (no bake, no eggs or flour)

Hello everyone !  This isn't particularly blueberry season, but cheesecake is almost always wonderful with them, so blueberry cheesecake it is !  Especially after the madness months of holiday baking, it was nice to whip up something that set in the fridge.

I have to be honest, no-bake cheesecake can be tricky.  I've had disaster moments ! Once in a while for no apparent reason, the cheesecake filling doesn't set and there's no understandable reason why even after following the recipe like a mad scientist (with funny glasses).

Here's what I've learned since this recipe includes no eggs or flour, nothing really holds it together

    - always use a spring form pan.  Without this, it is difficult to remove the cake from the pan and it is often quite delicately set in the first place

    - have the crust not only cover the bottom, but rise up the sides about 1-1/2 - 2 inches.  In case the filling is a tad too soft, at least the crust holds it together

    - the cream cheese should be softened or at room temperature so that it blends easily with the other ingredients

    - use freshly squeezed lemon juice and not concentrate or a store-bought mix or variety

    -  allow cake to set at least overnight.  You'll see that 2-3 days later it is even more compact.

    - if you use mascarpone instead of cream cheese, mascarpone is flavorless while cream cheese is saltier and has a bit of sugar.  So with mascarpone, add a tablespoon more of sugar and a pinch of salt

    -  if you use gelatin sheets (I didn't at first in this recipe, did in other versions), make sure they are completely dissolved in a heated bit of cream

    - When you whip the cream, beat until you get soft peaks before folding in the cream cheese, the lightness and air makes for a fluffy filling.

    - I will say I bake many cheesecakes a year, and some of them are perfect (about 70-80%) and others not so perfect in texture or setting but often the taste is what I was aiming for, so no worries ! This blueberry cheesecake was a tad too soft (probably because no gelatin), but it stayed set and the taste was unbelievable and was eaten in flash.  I'm for championing giving ourselves a break!

The recipe for this yummy treat :

Crust

15-20 (or 125 g) graham, speculoos or butter cookies or a

60 g of softened salted butter

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Filling

400 g cream cheese

10 cl + 20 cl  of liquid whipping cream

3/4 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

2 sheets of softened gelatin

Topping

200 g of blueberries

1/4 cup of blueberry jam 

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon of Kirsch or sherry (optional) or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Optional decorate with fresh fruit, macarons or edible flowers

In a plastic bag, place cookies, then roll with a rolling pin and continue until you get a uniform powder (can also pulverize in a processor). Add butter, sugar, and salt. Line pan with wax paper (I used  a bottomless pan, so lined the bottom with plastic wrap and foil). Add a layer of crust mixture and press down to get an even layer.  Bring crust up the sides about 1-1/2 to 2 inches  Allow to set in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until hardened. 

For the filling, soften gelatin sheets in cold water. Warm 10 cl of liquid whipping cream over medium heat, once simmering add softened gelatin sheets and with a whisk, mix vigorously until the gelatin is well melted and mixed into cream.  Allow to cool. In a bowl, whip the rest of the whipping cream until you get soft peaks. Add sugar. Mix in softened cream cheese and lemon juice. Add softened gelatin cream, mix until smooth. Pour into crust that has set. Allow to set refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight.
For blueberry topping, dilute cornstarch in cold water, add lemon juice. In a saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch liquid, add jam, once mixed, add blueberries and simmer in low heat for 5 minutes, making sure to keep the berries remain whole.  

Remove cake from pan. Decorate with blueberry sauce, macarons, flowers, or fruits as you please.
Enjoy, everyone !