blueberry cheesecake

While home over the 4th of July, I decided to try and get a little fancy for the family picnic and take a stab at a full-on blueberry cheesecake. I'm not quite sure if this was really an actual cheesecake; however, I'm positive that it was absolutely delicious. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, and judging by the fact that there was barely any left over, I took their compliments as genuine. Best part of it - there's really no actual baking. Here's what you'll need:

Crust:

• 9 whole graham crackers
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 12 ounces Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups fresh blueberries

Topping:

• 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2-pint baskets blueberries
• 2/3 cup blueberry preserves

Before you start, keep in mind that you need to prepare the crust and filling the day before, in order to let them set in the fridge overnight. The topping can be done a few hours before serving.

For crust, preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until graham crackers are finely ground. Add butter and vanilla; process until moist crumbs form. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake crust until deep golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool.

For filling, pour 1/4 cup water into small saucepan; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir over very low heat just until gelatin dissolves. Set aside.

Blend cream cheese, cream, sugar, and lemon juice in processor until smooth. Add berries; puree until smooth (some blueberry bits will remain). With machine running, add warm gelatin mixture through feed tube and blend well. Pour filling into crust. Cover; chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.) Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Transfer to platter.

For topping, beat cream and sugar in medium bowl until firm peaks form. Spread cream mixture thickly over top of cheesecake. Place berries in bowl. Heat jam in small saucepan over low heat until just melted. Pour jam over berries; toss to coat. Mound coated berries in center of cream, leaving 1-inch plain border. Chill cake at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

This wasn't nearly as daunting as the length of the recipe makes it seem. Definitely give it a try. The results were delicious, and even better the next day.

Bon chappétit!