Because wild blueberries are available in the frozen food section of the supermarket, bakers can take advantage of them in winter months. Here is a recipe for a luscious cheesecake which uses the nutritious little jewels.
Wild Blueberry Cheesecake
Crust
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) crushed graham crackers
75 ml (1/3 cup) sugar
90 ml (6 tbsp) margarine or butter, melted
75 ml (1/3 cup) toasted walnuts
Filling
3 pkgs (each 250 g/8 oz) reduced-fat cream cheese (not fat-free)
300 ml (1 1/4 cup) sugar
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 pkg gelatin
Topping
50 ml ( 1/4 cup) sugar
15 ml (1 tbsp) cornstarch
Pinch cinnamon
500 ml (2 cups) wild blueberries
10 ml (2 tsp) lemon juice
Crust: Finely chop walnuts. In a bowl, mix walnuts with graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Cover bottom of springform pan with parchment paper. Press mixture into bottom of pan and chill in refrigerator for about an hour.
Filling: In a bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Add grated orange zest. Squeeze orange and if necessary add enough water to make 125 ml ( 1/2 cup). In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over juice mixture. Let stand for 1 minute. Stir over low heat until completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly. Gently mix thoroughly with cream cheese mixture.
Topping: In a 1-l (4-cup) saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Add blueberries and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cook and gently stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook and stir 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate cheesecake for 2 to 3 hours.
Makes 8 servings.
Source: www.wildblueberries.com.
