This week I found myself with a few bundles of wildflowers and two huge baskets of strawberries. And since I had some elderflower syrup in the cupboard I’ve been wanting to use, I figured I’d combine that into a floral cheesecake just in time for the spring to summer transition. Today’s recipe is strawberry cheesecake with a delicate elderflower & strawberry jam.
Ingredients:
2 bricks of cream cheese
2 eggs
2 baskets of strawberries
2 Tbs. flour
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup + 2 Tbs. sugar
1 Stick of butter
2 cps of Graham Crackers
2 tbs. vanilla
2 lemons
2/3 cup Elderflower syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
Start the crust – blend two packs of graham crackers in a food processor until they turn to crumbs. Two packs usually add up to two cups of graham cracker crumbs from my experience. Take the stick of butter and melt in the microwave for 1 minute or until fully melted. Pour the butter into the crumbs along with 2 Tbs. of sugar. Mix well and then pour into a pie pan and form the crumbs into a crust. Make sure to build up along the sides so the cake will have edge support. Bake at 350 for 10 mins. When done, let it cool for a minimum of 30 mins before filling.
Strawberry Puree – Puree 1 basket of strawberries, then run them through a wire strainer. You can add a tbs. or two of sugar if you wish. It depends on how sweet you like your desserts. There is plenty of sugar in the cheesecake but it’s the chef’s choice.
Cheesecake Filling – Mix the room temp cream cheese, sour cream and 1 cup of sugar w/ a mixer until creamy. Then add 3/4 of the strawberry puree and vanilla, mix for a minute or so. Save a little puree for the top of the cake. Then add eggs and flour, do not over-blend or the cake will become too light. When everything is well mixed you can fold the batter into the crust and spread evenly. Now add dollops of strawberry puree to the top of the cake and swirl with a knife to create the desired pattern. Slide into the oven at 325 degrees for 55 mins.
Strawberry Topping – Dice one basket of strawberries into small pieces, put in a bowl and add juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/4 cp of elderflower syrup. Set to the side and let the flavors marry together. If the elderflower essence is still too light add another 1/4 cup. Top over a slice of cheesecake once it’s cooled.