Ease of preparation: Complex
Yield: 1 cheesecake
Ingredients:
Vanilla wafer crust
3 cups (720 ml) crumbled vanilla wafers
1/3 cup (80 ml) melted butter
3 tablespoons (45 ml) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
Blueberry swirl
½ cup (120 ml) cold water
1 ½ cups (360 ml) blueberries
2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar
Cheesecake filling
10 ounces (285 g) high quality white chocolate
32 ounces (907 g) cream cheese, room temperature (4 packages)
½ cup (120 ml) butter, room temperature
½ cup (120 ml) sugar
½ cup (120 ml) sour cream
4 eggs
Sugar blueberries
1 egg white
1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh blueberries
1 cup (240 ml) sugar
White chocolate leaves
8 ounces (226 g) high quality white chocolate (2 chocolate bars)
Collection of small fresh leaves, cleaned and dried
Special Equipment
Piping bag with small tip
10-inch springform pan
Method:
Let’s get baking!
For the crust, line the bottom and sides of a 10-inch (25 cm) springform pan with parchment paper.
Blitz vanilla wafers in a food processor until finely ground, then transfer to a bowl. Add butter, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Tip mixture into the springform pan and press down to cover the bottom evenly. Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 350 F (175 C).
Let cool completely, and then place in the fridge until ready to fill.
For the blueberry swirl, add cold water, blueberries, lemon juice, cornstarch and sugar to a pot. Boil until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, and strain to remove any chunks. Let the mixture cool.
For the cheesecake filling, place the springform pan with the chilled crust over a sheet of aluminum foil. Fold the sides of the foil around the pan to wrap it. Set pan aside.
Melt white chocolate over a double-boiler. Let cool.
Whip the cream cheese and butter together. Gradually add sugar and whip until creamy. Turn speed to low, and add sour cream and eggs and whip until well combined.
Pour in melted white chocolate and whip until combined.
Pour mixture on top of the chilled crust. Spread mixture evenly over the crust.
To combine, add blueberry swirl sauce to a piping bag with a small tip. Pipe the blueberry swirl sauce around the perimeter of the cake. Drag a toothpick through the sauce to swirl.
Place cheesecake pan in a deep roasting pan and pour water around the pan to rise up to 2 inches (5 cm) around the side. Cover the entire roasting pan with aluminum foil to make a bain marie. Bake for 2 hours at 325 F (160 C) or until the centre of cake has just set.
Carefully remove foil and transfer the springform pan to the counter to cool for 15-20 minutes.
Unlock and remove the sides of the pan, remove parchment paper, and set the cheesecake in the fridge to cool for at least 1 hour.
For the sugar blueberries, add egg white and water to a bowl and whisk until frothy. Add sugar to a second bowl. Add blueberries to egg white and stir to coat evenly. Drop blueberries a few at a time into the sugar and toss to coat evenly.
Lay blueberries out, and separate, in a single layer on a wire rack. Dry and set at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
For the white chocolate leaves, melt white chocolate in a double boiler. Dip the underside of the leaves in the melted chocolate. Lay the leaves, chocolate side up, on a wire rack. (Lay over rounded spoons, cups and tiny bowls for more shape.)
Chill until the chocolate has set, around 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Gently remove chocolate from the leaf, clipping leaf away with scissors if needed. Store chocolate leaves in fridge until ready to use.
To finish, place chilled cheesecake on a serving platter. Decorate the cake with the sugared blueberries and white chocolate leaves. Chill until ready to serve.
