No Bake Saskatoon Berry Cheesecake

I feel as if I have been a bit of a stranger the last few weeks, I guess I have been enjoying my summer! I do have glorious plans of posts that I will be doing throughout the rest of the summer, but if they all don't happen I will be the only one that knows about it. I guess that is the good thing about the plans I make in my note book, only I know when I skip a post.

This lovely post is one that was not planned, see again the beauty of me blogging, is that I have so much freedom to change up what I want to share with you all. Today was a day that magic just happened. 

My kids and I put on our rubber boots and hats, and went out into our property to look for some wild raspberries. Last year there was so many of them, that we just gorged on them for weeks. This year... not so much, but the Saskatoon berries are crazy this year. I was in complete awe by all of the berries, I only got 1/4 of what I could see and reach. We decided we are going back out tomorrow to retrieve as much as we can, so that we can freeze them and enjoy them in the colder months.

Saskatoon berries are my husbands favourite, he loves them, so he was super excited to come home to a dessert made with them and to a huge bowl full on the counter. Saskatoon berries are native to Alaska and Western Canada, some of the Northern Central United States has them as well. They grow on these tall shrubs, and are a deep purple and red in colour. Fun fact is Saskatoon Saskatchewan, is named after the berry. The word Saskatoon is a Cree word. There is a rich history in picking and preserving the berry within the native community. 

When I was thinking about what to make with them, I decided on two things, the one you will have to wait and see in a few days! This one though I was excited to do. Today was a warm day and I didn't want to really turn the oven on, so I decided a no bake cheesecake sounded great to me.


No Bake Saskatoon Berry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Cheesecake Filling:

1 package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
2 cups of whipping cream
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Graham Cracker Layer:

5 graham crackers (they have four pieces attached together)
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1/4 cup of white sugar

Saskatoon Berry Compote:

1 cup of fresh Saskatoon berries
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 heaping tablespoon of cornstarch
1/4 cup of water

Directions:

In a small sauce pan add all the ingredients for the Saskatoon berry compote and stir together. Turn the heat on to a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Once the liquid starts to boil continue to stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the berries have softened and the liquid has thickened. Remove from the heat and with a hand blender, or a blender, blend the compote until most of the berries have been broken up. Pour the compote through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, make sure to press through as much as possible. Discard the skins and seeds. Allow to completely cool before using.

In a medium sized bowl whip the whipping cream and vanilla until it has stiff peaks. Reserve 1/2 cup of the whipped cream for later.  In a separate bowl blend the rest of the ingredients for the cheesecake filling together with a hand held mixer. When the sugar has dissolved and the filling no longer feels grainy, then add the whipped cream and fold it together. Set aside.

In a small food processor, add the graham crackers and sugar. Pulse until the crackers have turned into crumbs. Add the butter and pulse again for 10 seconds. Set to the side.

Grab four 8 ounce Mason jars. Begin by layering some of the graham cracker mixture on the bottom, around 2 tablespoons. Then add a good sized scoop of the cheesecake filling, followed by 2 tablespoons of the Saskatoon compote. Repeat the first two layers and then add a dollop of whipped cream, drizzle a bit of the Saskatoon berry compote and add some fresh berries on top. Repeat all these steps for the other three jars. 

Place in the fridge and allow to set for 1 hour before eating.

No Bake Saskatoon Berry Cheesecake

What I loved about this is that they were easy to whip up, and easier to devour. They made four perfect servings for my little family of four. You can also put a lid on and screw the tops on and it can be portable for picnics or days at the beach. 

What is funny, is for me having to learn to scale back when baking or cooking. I come from a family of 8, and grew up cooking to feed an army. I have to remind myself I am only feeding 2 adults and 2 tiny humans, although my son is eating us out of house and home. 

Happy Eating!