No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Submitted by SGpratt

"I saw this in the NY Times on July 23, 2008 in "The Minimalist" column by Mark Bittman, and I'm posting it here for safe keeping. Some of the suggestions/comments from the article are 1) drain any liquid from ricotta cheese, if watery 2) the cheese mixture is "deliciously creamy when first produced, but sets up well once chilled," 3) the bars should become sturdy enough to cut (carefully) and sit up staight on a plate 4) If you don't find this sweet enough, you may want to add up to 1/4 cup sugar instead of increasing the honey, because you don't want the honey flavor to become overpowering, 5) Other flavor possibilities to add with the blueberries: any citrus you like; a teaspoon or so of very finely ground coffee or cocoa; chopped raisins or chocolate chips, and 6) You could make a berry sauce (just cook berries with a little water and sugare) and spoon over the cheesecake. The "cooking time" refers to how long you should chill before serving. Any comments/suggestions are welcome!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 8-12

ingredients

• 16 graham cracker squares, crushed
• 1⁄4 cup ground pecans (optional) or 1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons honey (adjust to taste)
• rind of one lemon, grated
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups blueberries

directions

1. Combine crushed graham crackers, nuts if using, and melted butter.
2. Press evenly into a bottom of an 8-or 9-inch square pan (glass is recommended) to form a crust about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Put crust in refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Using a standing or hand mixer, or a whisk, combine cream cheese, ricotta cheese, honey, lemon rind and salt. Blend until smooth.
5. Spread cheese mixture carefully and evenly over crust, using a spatula or butter knife to smooth top.
6. Cover with fresh blueberries and chill for at least an hour or until set.
7. Cut into square or bars and serve.

Reviews

[mileen]

It tasted pretty good the first day, though make sure to grate the lemon rind very fine - there were some bitter large pieces in mine that didn't soften in the mixture...however, it never really set how it was supposed to, I had put it in the freezer before serving, but then after I switched it to the refrigerator to set fully overnight it was really soft and runny the next day and the taste was not as good. I also added two tablespoons of turbinado sugar. Maybe I need to experiment with this one further...

 

[Sydney Mike]

Was about ready to give up on this recipe for lack of finding blueberries, then at Costco I found exactly what I wanted, & these bars went together quickly! Loved the combo of cheeses used in them, & the fresh blueberries were wonderful! Thanks for sharing the recipe! [Made & reviewed in Zaar Cookbook Tag]