Blueberry Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Whip

 

My love affair with fresh mango (known here as my mango madness) has taken something of a back seat recently with the arrival of super plump blueberries. I adore these juicy little pockets of goodness! I have them almost religiously on my porridge/oats in the morning; throw a few into a fruit salad; and find my hand seeking them out for a nutritious snack mid-afternoon. What’s not to like? 

 

So I turned to them when I wanted to try out an idea for a sort of cheesecake recipe that would be bariatric-friendly. Now before the purists start protesting let me say I know it isn’t a classic cheesecake from the old days, it’s an adaptation of a dish that now ticks the boxes when a slice of cheesecake is desired. It’s very, very simple to make, keeps well in the refrigerator and could be made with other berry fruits. The ‘must’ for me

has to be the creamy accompaniment. This salted caramel whip has to be tasted to be believed! It’s creamy, sweetish and deliciously flavoursome like the original full-fat, high-sugar version but without the fat and sugar overload. Try it and see!

 

 

 

 

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL WHIP

Ingredients

METRIC/US

500 g/1 lb low-fat natural cottage cheese

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp granulated sweetener (I used Truvia)

150 g/1 cup blueberries

Whip:

250 g/8 oz quark (a fat-free soft cheese) or fat-free cream cheese

2 tbsp granulated sweetener (I used Truvia)

2-3 tsp salted caramel extract

fresh blueberries and mint sprigs to serve

 

METHOD

1.  Preheat the oven to 170 C/325 F/gas mark 3.

2.  Drain the cottage cheese if there is any obvious liquid then place in a blender with the eggs, vanilla and sweetener. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the blueberries.

3.  Base line a small loaf pan/dish with baking parchment (mine was about 20 x 10 cm/8 x 4 inches). Pour in the blueberry mixture.

4.  Bake in the oven for about 70-75 minutes until firm. Allow to cool slightly, then, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, DRAIN AWAY ANY EXCESS LIQUID BY INVERTING AT AN ANGLE AND ALLOWING ANY TO RUN FREELY FROM THE CHEESECAKE. Allow to fully cool then chill until required.

5.  To make the whip, beat the quark with the sweetener and caramel extract until smooth and creamy.

6.  To serve, invert the cheesecake onto a board or plate and slice thickly. Serve with a spoonful of the salted caramel whip, extra blueberries if liked and decorated with mint sprigs.

 

SERVES 6

WLS PORTION: 1/2-1

V suitable for Vegetarians

 

CALORIES PER PORTION: 170

PROTEIN: 19.1g

CARBOHYDRATE: 11.2g

FAT: 4.3g

 

Recipe Image copyright of Bariatric Cookery (UK) Ltd