no-bake blueberry cheesecake bars~a perfect summer dessert

It's not a secret that blueberries and cheesecake in any form, even no-bake, go wonderfully together for a summer dessert. I'm going to make this dessert again tomorrow using blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries on top, just to change things up for the holiday weekend. My refrigerator is packed with food and just now we decided to drive out to the coast, Point Reyes area, for lunch. Of course my husband wants seafood when I have beef and chicken in our fridge, such is life in our Bay Area suburban bubble.

Just a quick note on this recipe from the NYT, I love using Bellwether Farms Basket Ricotta made in Petaluma, maybe we will wave to them on our drive out to the coast. The recipe calls for 1 cup of ricotta so you have some leftover to use in pasta or wherever your creative mind takes you, it's wonderful delicious stuff.

ps, I like sweet desserts so when a recipe calls for the possibility to increase sugar -nine times out of ten I increase that sugar to make my dessert nice and sweet.

Ingredients and Recipe for No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Make 8 generous servings

16 graham cracker squares or 8 whole crackers, finely crushed

1/3 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 8-ounce package full fat regular cream cheese, at room temp

1 cup ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons honey

Freshly grated rind of a lemon, I used Meyer lemon

Generous pinch of sea salt

1&1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Combine the crushed graham crackers, pecans and melted butter. Press into an 8 or 9 inch square pan to form the crust, about 1/4 inch thick, chill in fridge until ready to use.

In a large bowl whisk together the softened cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, lemon zest and salt, combine until smooth.

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust, being careful not to upset the crust.

Place in the refrigerator to chill until firm (this can be done the day before), then cover with the blueberries and chill for another hour before serving.

Cut into squares and serve.

Comments

springtime chamomile tea cake with strawberry icing

Good grief, Easter is in the rear view mirror and we are deep into this new year. And once again it's tea time at my house. This chamomile tea cake is a beautiful sweet addition to any tea ritual, especially my favorite, chamomile tea, which I rediscovered in my hotel room in Carmel earlier this fast moving year. I highly recommend a slice of chamomile tea cake with strawberry 🍓 icing with a cup of chamomile tea to just take a moment and slow this year down. Baking with tea is both creative and fun. Earlier this year I made Earl Gray sugar cookies which are made using the same method of infusing the butter with loose tea. For my tea cake I also rubbed the lemon zest into the sugar -another way to lend a pop of citrus to your baking. The strawberry icing is made using freeze dried strawberries, I pulverize them in my spice mill and then they are pressed through a fine sieve into the confectioner's sugar. In addition to using lemon zest rub...

kale quinoa apple pecan salad with feta

Salade Kale Quinoa Apple Pecan with Feta 1&1/2 cups water or vegetable broth 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup dried cranberries 6 cups curly leaf kale, washed, rinsed, trimmed and chopped Sea salt 1 Fuji apple, cored and thinly sliced 1 small shallot, thinly sliced 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped 2 ounces crumbled Feta 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon lemon juice Piment d’Espelette, to taste, or a generous pinch Freshly ground fermented white pepper, to taste In a medium saucepan bring the water or vegetable broth to a boil and add the quinoa, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork and place the cranberries on top. Cover the pan and let steam for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the kale in a large salad bowl and season with the sea salt, rub in about 1 teaspoon salt and massage with y...

artichoke, green olive and caper tapenade

artichoke, green olive and caper tapenade serves 6 We spent last weekend with friends at their country home. They made dinner at home one night so I brought a couple of appetizers to share. My tapenade is easy to make, just spoon the blended artichoke mix into a terrine then pack in an ice chest for a short road trip. I like to serve it spread on small crisp crackers but toasted sliced baguette works well too. Save a sprinkle of capers for the top of your tapenade before serving and enjoy. recipe for artichoke, green olive and caper tapenade serves 6 One 14 ounce jar of artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and cut into quarters 1/3 cup pitted green olives, I like Castelvetrano green olives 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons capers, plus extra for sprinkling on top 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, minced Aleppo pepper to taste, I use a scant 1/4 teaspoon Sea salt to taste Place the artichokes, olives, olive oil, capers,...

Tarragon and Chives

Search This Blog