Around the middle part of this past summer, when the blueberries were literally falling off the bushes because they were so ripe, I went blueberry picking in Spencer, NY, with Coco. We tried to resist eating too many of the blueberries as we picked, and ended up taking home about 5 pounds of blueberries each (and an added bonus was they were very cheap because we picked them ourselves). It had been River's birthday earlier in the summer, and since I hadn't seen him for his birthday, I told him I would make him a birthday cake when he came to Ithaca. I decided that, since it was summer, a blueberry cheesecake would be quite appropriate.
To start off, I made a homemade blueberry syrup/sauce to add to the cheesecake batter and drizzle on top of it when it was done cooking, cooling, and setting.
Blueberry Sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries (make sure there are no stems!)
Mix together the orange juice, water, cornstarch, and sugar in a saucepan over medium/low heat. Add blueberries and bring to a boil, making sure to stir frequently. Once the mixture has boiled, turn the heat down low again and let it simmer until the blueberries have exploded and the sauce has thickened up. Don't worry if it looks a little too runny when it is on the stove- once you take it off and it cools, it will thicken up. Also, the blueberry sauce will have little bits of blueberry skin in it. If you don't want these in your cheesecake, you can always strain the sauce through something like cheesecloth, but I personally like the blueberry skin bits in my cheesecake. :)
This blueberry sauce is really delicious on top of oatmeal, ice cream, plain yogurt, cheesecake, and many other delicious things :)
Now, this blueberry cheesecake is extra wonderful because it has a gluten free crust, meaning that those who are avoiding gluten can also enjoy it. Personally, I think that nut crusts are a much more delicious base for a cheesecake than ground-up, store-bought graham crackers. It seems to me that many people overlook the crust when they make cheesecakes and try to focus their attention on the actual creamy cheesecake center. In my mind, all aspects of a cheesecake are equally important to consider when creating a recipe. There must be a delicious base, creamy, but not too sweet center, and either no topping at all, or one that compliments all of the other flavors found in the cake.
Blueberry Cheesecake
Pecan crust:
1 1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 teaspoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line the bottom a springform pan (I think I used 8 or 9 inch) with aluminum foil (makes for easy cheesecake removal after it's done cooking).
If you have a blender or food processor, put the nuts in and pulse until you have a medium-coarse meal. You don't want the nuts to be as fine as flour, but you also don't want huge chunks. I personally like to leave some small/medium-sized chunks in there to add a little extra crunch to the crust. If you don't have a blender or food processor, you can put the nuts in a bag and roll them with a rolling pin, or smash them with something heavy.
Pour the nuts into the springform pan and add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix until uniform consistency. Add the molasses and melted butter. Press mixture to the bottom of the pan and bake for about 5-7 minutes until the crust firms up a little bit. Take out and let cool while you mix together the cheesecake batter.
Blueberry Cheesecake
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup homemade blueberry sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 cup white sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
Meanwhile, add cream cheese (or mascarpone, which I prefer to cream cheese, but it is more expensive so I use it sparingly) sugars, and blueberry sauce, and beat with an electric hand mixer until nice and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Before you pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust, prepare your springform pan for cooking in a water bath (to prevent cracking of the cheesecake). Cover the entire outside of the pan in aluminum foil, making sure that there are no holes or gaps where water can enter the pan (it isn't water-tight).
After you have secured your pan, place it in a water bath (I use my skillet. Because it is so small, it is easier to put the pan in the water bath and then pour in the cheesecake batter, but if you have a larger water bath, you could also just pour the batter onto the crust and then place the whole thing in the water bath). Carefully pour in the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Smooth out the top of the cheesecake so it is is nice and even.
Bake in a water bath for about 1 hour. Middle of cheesecake will still be wobbly, but the edges should be nice and firm. Make sure that you have enough water so it doesn't all evaporate before the cheesecake is done cooking, and if it does, add a little more to the bath.
When the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven, open the door, and let it sit in there for a few minutes. Then you can take the cheesecake out of the water bath and let it cool on the counter for a bit. Once it is cool to the touch, put it in your refrigerator to set (overnight or about 5-6 hours).
Now comes the best part of the recipe... eat it!
