Here we are once again, perusing through the website for the inevitable dessert after a nice comfort meal. Lately, in my neck of the woods, heavy rain has set in, along with rolling fogs that settle amidst the foothills of our property. Quite a beautiful sight to enjoy, alongside my big cup of coffee. It is also days like this when it calls for a semi or no-bake culinary muse in my kitchen! So once again, I turn back to one of my favorite food blogger extraordinaire, Stella Dacuma Schour of Cooking with Stellaaa, whose motto “I cook with feelings and without exact measurements” coincides with my culinary philosophy of reinventing a recipe in the simplest way possible and with heart. In Stella’s original recipe, without a doubt, she definitely had me at ‘No-Bake Honey Cheesecake’.
Without further adieu, in the spirit of creativity without the hazzle, below is my version of this delectable dessert. Do enjoy!–gcc
Ingredients:
- Bosc pears (or other kinds of fruits, i.e. apples, bananas, etc. to your liking)
- 6-10 tbsp local organic or regular honey / sugar/ or your preferred sweetener to taste (I used a local, organic honey)
- 8 oz package cream cheese (I used low-fat, but it’s optional.)
- 1/2 pint box heavy whipping cream/ or 1 cup (I used 1/2 pint box)
- Apple Cinnamon Cookies (or a similar type such as honey graham, or cheesecake crusts)
Equipment:
- Large 6-cup muffin tray or 6 ramekins (I used ramekins as pictured)
- Cookie sheet
- Cupcake liners
- Aluminum foil or silpat
- Electric beater / Stand mixer
Direction:
- In a chilled bowl (Freeze for about 30 minutes before use), beat 1/2 pint box or 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until stiff. Add the container of cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of honey at a time, working your way up to a desired taste. OPTIONAL: For white sugar/or sweetener, add 1 tablespoon at a time, working your way up to desired sweetness. Add lemon juice at this stage.
- Pour onto muffin tins, line it with cupcake liners or aluminum foil and freeze for about hour (if you want to eat or serve it to guests on the same day), otherwise freeze overnight and serve the following day.
- Before serving, slice pears–peel, if desired (or other
desired fruits), arrange them on a sheet of foil or silpat on a cookie sheet. Drizzle honey on it; then bake for 5 minutes at 400°F, or until pears are softened. OPTIONAL: If you have a torch, use that with the sugar
- As pictured, drizzle a good amount of cookie crumble on the bottom of the plate, place the cheesecake on top; then top it with pears (or other fruit), drizzled with more honey, if desired. Add a generous serving of crushed cookies. NOTE: You can make these ahead of time for a party as they do keep well in the freezer.
Original recipe adapted from Cooking with Stellaaa:
http://cookingwithstellaaa.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/succulent-succotash-no-bake-honey-cheesecake/