Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake

It was high time I featured a desert here. With Labor Day coming tomorrow signaling the end of summer, I decided to honor the lemon. I found this recipe in The Yogurt Bible.

I can't remember the last time I made a cheesecake by hand. It's been so long, in fact, that I had to borrow a 9 inch spring pan from my mother. This is not your usual cheesecake. When I think of cheesecake, a dense cheesy slab of sweet creamy goodness comes to mind; thick and leaving you stuffed. But this one is light and bursting with the refreshing flavor of fresh lemon. The shortbread cookie crust helps out too. Also, it's more of a tart thickness even though it's made in a full size spring form pan. You don't have to limit this to blueberries. I'll try this again with fresh raspberries or a canned cherry pie filling. Whatever you decide, this is a delicious desert that will be gone before you reach for the second slice.

Preheat oven to 300 F.

9 inch springform pan, ungreased

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups shortbread cookies or graham cracker crumbs (put through food processor)
1/4 cup butter, melted

CHEESECAKE
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup lemon yogurt
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1tbsp grated lemon zest
1tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Crust: in a bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter and press in to bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of spring form pan. Bake in a preheated over for 6 minutes or until firm but not browned. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

2. Cheesecake: In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition. Beat for 2-3 minutes on low-medium speed until well combined. Add yogurt, condensed milk, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat for 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.

3. Scrape cheesecake mixture over crust in spring form pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until the edge is firm. The center may be cracked and slightly wobbly. Turn off the oven and let cheesecake cool for 30 minutes in the oven with the door ajar. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve garnished with fresh berries.

Spring salad with candied walnuts and blueberry vanilla goat cheese

If you need one more reason to run out and buy the Blueberry Vanilla Goat Cheese from Trader Joe's, this is it. Last night I made a spring salad with candied walnuts and blueberry vanilla goat cheese. This was such a delicious and refreshing salad that I'm sure to make again. One of the things I loved the best was the tiny little wild blueberries that imparted themselves in to the salad mix. If you can't find this cheese and/or don't have a Trader Joe's near you, crumbled goat cheese or gorgonzola would do the same minus the delicious vanilla flavor and little blueberries.


Ingredients

1/2 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup crumbled blueberry vanilla goat cheese
1 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.
2. Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar, and olive oil. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again.

Blueberry vanilla goat cheese

For the love of Christ, don't walk....sprint like a madman....over to your local Trader Joe's for a log of their blueberry vanilla goat cheese! Studded with tiny wild blueberries soaked in vanilla, this goat cheese is worth every last Hail Mary you'll have to do for the sin of eating the entire log by yourself in one sitting without offering to share it with anyone. When I passed by the cheese section at Trader Joe's the other day, I knew there was no way it wasn't going in my cart. At $4.29 for an 8oz log, you just can't beat it. I decided to pair it with a plate of fresh sliced pears. The creamy vanilla/blueberry/goat cheese goes together so well with the texture and slight sweetness that only a pear can bring. But of course, I'm also going to try it crumbled in to a bed of baby field greens with a light vinaigrette and some candied walnuts. Why are you still reading??? Get yourself over to the store now!