Torte can mean a lot of things in baking…this particular Blueberry Torte–inspired from Food52 Kitchen Letters, is a blueberry pie translated onto a cheese-cake derivative but lighter and prettier. In essence, it’s really a no-bake cheesecake made fancy by name…
Serves 8
Ingredients
(For the Blueberry Pie Filling)
- 1 quart organic blueberries, divided
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
(For the Torte)
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 9 whole graham crackers)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups whipping cream
- Blueberry pie filling (recipe above, or use one 21-ounce organic can prepared pie filling)
Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Simmer 2 cups blueberries with water and powdered sugar, mashing berries occasionally with a wooden spoon, until broken down completely and sauce coats the back of the spoon (about 15 minutes).
- Pass sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pushing it through with a silicone or rubber spatula, then scraping the sauce from the bottom of the strainer (yields 1 cup of sauce). Fold in remaining cup of blueberries. Add lemon juice, stir, and adjust the sugar and lemon to taste. Set aside to cool.
- In a food processor, crumb the graham crackers, then blend in flour. With the processor running, pour in the melted butter. Stir in chopped walnuts (be sure to leave them a little chunky). Press mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Bake until the crust is dry and a shade darker (about 10-15 minutes). Set aside to cool (chill the crust in the freezer if you are in a hurry).
- Whisk softened cream cheese with powdered sugar until completely smooth. In a separate bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks, then fold into the cream cheese mixture. Pour onto the cooled crust (still in the pan), evening it out with a spatula.
- Spoon cooled blueberry pie filling evenly onto cream layer. Chill in the pan until serving — the longer the better, a few hours or up to a day ahead. When ready to serve, set entire pan on a serving platter. Loosen Torte from pan edges with a knife blade, then remove the outer ring. The pie filling will flow down over edges of Torte. Serve immediately. Cold leftovers makes for a great breakfast, as well 😉
Bon Appétit!