Every year on either Memorial Day, July 4th or Labor Day, I make a festive Red, White and Blue dessert. Sometimes it’s a flag cake, sometimes it’s ice cream sandwiches and sometimes it’s a deliciously messy crumble. This year, I opted for a cheesecake I hadn’t made in years (pre-SG days!!).
Cheesecake can be a bit tricky to make You can whip up a quick crust and a quick filling, but if it doesn’t have the time and love to set properly, you’ll be left with a panna cotta.
This recipe takes a lot of the guesswork out, but make sure you have the full 2 hours (more is even better!) to let it chill. If you don’t you’ll be left with a yummy loose cake – it’s not the worst problem in the world to have. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe, Ainsley! We adore your cookbook!!
Easy Red, White & Blue Cheesecake
Ingredients
Base
- 4oz (1/2 stick) butter
- 1 cup digestive biscuit cookies (these are in the British section – you could also use graham cracker crumbs)
- 11/2 tablespoons sugar
Filling
- 2 large lemons
- 8oz full-fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 7oz creme fraiche (find this in the fancy cheese section)
Topping
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 3/4 cups blueberries
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Directions
- For the base, put butter into a large saucepan and melt over a low heat. Put biscuit cookies into a large plastic bag, seal the end and crush with a rolling pin into fine crumbs. Stir into butter with sugar. Press mixture firmly on to the base and sides of a lightly oiled 8-inch loose-bottomed round tin using the back of a spoon. Chill while you make the filling.
- For the filling, zest 1 lemon and squeeze the juice from both – you should get 4-5oz of juice. Beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest together in a bowl until smooth. Gradually, beat in lemon juice until you have a thick, creamy mixture, then gently fold in creme fraiche. Spoon the filling into biscuit case, swirl the top with a knife and chill for at least 2 hours.
- For the topping, put lemon juice and sugar in a small pan and leave over a low heat until sugar has dissolved. Add blueberries, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 minute. Mix corn starch with 1 teaspoon of cold water, stir in and cook for about 30 seconds until thickened. Transfer to a small bowl and leave to cool. Then cover and chill alongside cheesecake.
- To serve, remove cheesecake from tin and transfer it to a serving plate. Spoon over blueberry topping. Enjoy!
Adapted from: Ainsley Harriott’s Friends And Family Cookbook
Season Generously 