I’m doing a lot of cooking with my homemade Greek yogurt these days. I find it’s a great substitute for lots of less healthy things, like cream cheese, sour cream, and, with a little sugar added, whipped toppings for fruit desserts. Even though it’s fat-free, it tastes rich and creamy, and also contains a fair amount of protein. So when I saw this recipe on Serious Eats –and happened to have some blueberries from the CSA in my fridge—-I knew I had to see if I could make it with Greek yogurt. And it’s great-—creamy and light, not dry and heavy the way cheesecake can be. Bonus: no oven required, so making this won’t heat up your house.
The original recipe was made in mugs, but I’ve modified it for my set of eight ramekins. You could also use half-pint canning jars and then throw one in your lunch for an afternoon treat.
Ingredients:
1 cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup melted margarine or butter
1 ½ to 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup Greek yogurt, non-fat or full-fat
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine crumbs and margarine in a small bowl with a fork, then press into the bottoms of ramekins with the back of a spoon.
Cover crumbs with a layer of blueberries.
Whisk together the yogurt, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth.
Spoon on top of the berries. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the yogurt mixture set up, then serve cold.
This time, I used only 6 of my ramekins and made 2 of them in these little locking containers so that my boyfriend can take them in his lunch.
Now, if you’re weird like me and a little obsessed with making everything from scratch, you can make your own condensed milk. Just put 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of powdered milk in a blender; microwave ½ cup water and 1 tablespoon margarine or butter until boiling, then add to blender and mix until smooth.
I’ve tried this with Bing cherries and didn’t like it as much, but I suspect it would be amazing with strawberries. I’ve also made this in a pie plate to bring to a party; I kept the crust amounts the same, used about 2 cups berries, then made 1 ½ times the filling in order to cover the berries well.
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Individual Blueberry Cheesecakes
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Robin from Rurification says:
Yum. Yum, yum, yum. Must try!
On August 13, 2012 at 8:28 am
ullalaage says:
This looks so delicious !!! And what made me even more happy was to see, that you make your own homemade greek yougurt. I searched for it in your recipe index … but it’s not there :´^(
Would it be too much to ask you to give your recipe on that … I would be VERY happy <3 <3 <3
On August 13, 2012 at 9:10 am
STH says:
Hi there, ullalaage! When I first wanted to make Greek yogurt, I Googled and Googled, and as far as I can tell, people make it by simply draining the excess whey out of regular plain yogurt. I make yogurt in my yogurt maker with nonfat milk, then drain the yogurt in one of these things: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Donvier-Yogurt-Cheese-Maker/dp/B000064841. You can certainly use a couple layers of cheesecloth in a sieve, but I make a lot of Greek yogurt, so the “cheese maker” is cheaper in the long run for me, as well as easier. You can control the thickness by how long you strain it; I usually strain it overnight. I save the whey in a jar in the fridge, then use it in place of the water when I make bread. I got the idea to do that (and a lot of ideas on how to use Greek yogurt) from Suzanne’s post on lactic cheese; Greek yogurt can do pretty much anything that lactic cheese can do. I use it as a substitute for all kinds of dairy products; the other day I used it in place of heavy cream in a recipe for scones and they were great!
On August 19, 2012 at 2:11 pm
ullalaage says:
Thank you so much for your answer. I’ll look forward a lot making this as I love it !!! THANKS agasin :^)
And all best, Ulla
On August 19, 2012 at 2:34 pm
STH says:
Thanks, Ulla! I hope you enjoy it!
On August 19, 2012 at 2:42 pm
grammyscraps says:
My hubby has been after me to write and let you know how much we have enjoyed this recipe. I have made it twice now, the last time putting in fresh diced peaches with the blueberries. This is such a quick, easy and delicious recipe. Thank you so much.
On August 24, 2012 at 3:23 pm
STH says:
Well, aren’t you sweet (and your hubby, too!) I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you!
On August 27, 2012 at 5:30 pm