Blueberry Cheesecake
Taste of Home
Savor the best of the blues with this crowd-pleasing blueberry cheesecake from Dick Deacon of Lawrenceville, Georgia. “Dick and I became highly desired members of a supper club group in anticipation of his contributions,” notes his wife, Sybil.
SERVINGS: 14-16
CATEGORY: Dessert
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 1 hour Bake: 70 min. + chilling
Ingredients:
- 40 vanilla wafers, crushed
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- FILLING:
- 2 cups (16 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- BLUEBERRY GLAZE:
- 3-1/2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Edible pansiesor violas and fresh mint leaves, optional
Directions:
In a bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, pecans and butter. Press onto the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325°.
Process cottage cheese in a blender until smooth; pour into a large mixing bowl. Add cream cheese, butter and sugar; beat until smooth. Add sour cream, cornstarch and flour; beat well. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla just until combined. Pour over crust.
Return pan to baking sheet. Bake for 70-80 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
For glaze, puree 2-1/2 cups blueberries in a food processor; press through a fine mesh sieve, reserving 1 cup juice. Discard pulp and seeds. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and reserved blueberry juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
Remove sides of pan. Spread glaze over cheesecake. Sprinkle with remaining blueberries; garnish with pansies or violas and mint if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 14-16 servings.