Blackberry Whiskey "Cheesecake"

 

 

It seems that every time we go out on a hike here in the Pacific Northwest we see wild blackberries decorating many of the trails with their dark purple orbs. If you grow these berries then you know they are not always easy to tame, as their vines can encroach up precious real estate, but they are well worth the hassle for the juicy sweetness they surrender.

 

For those of you old western fans out there, wanna take a crack at naming the drink a cowboy would order in a saloon?  Yep, whiskey.  Also called “Tarantula Juice,” “Coffin Varnish” and “Stagger Soup” it was the drink of the Wild West.  So you're probably getting an idea of where this is going.  Where the wild things are, they are in my kitchen!  Ergo I chose to pair two wild cards to create this royal flush of a dessert that's sure to knock your boots off.

 

 

crust ingredients

 

6 Medjool dates pitted

1/2 cup coconut flakes

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, hemp seeds or raw cacao nibs (choose your flavor)

pinch of sea salt

 

filling ingredients

3 cups cashews (soaked a minimum of 4 hours)

2/3 cup lemon juice (the juice of approximately 4 lemons)

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup cold water

3 tablespoons blackberry honey (if available), coconut nectar, maple syrup or other sweetener of choice

1 teaspoon raw vanilla bean powder or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of lemon zest

pinch of sea salt

 

fruit topping ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

6 to 8 Medjool dates pitted (amount depends on the sweetness of your berries)

1 tablespoon whiskey (of course more can be added if you would like to intensify the flavor)

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

 

Place all of the crust ingredients into a food processor and blend until it becomes nice and crumbly. Remove the mixture and press it into a 9"x 13" baking dish or a springform pan (this is the one I used, but you could really use any size).   

Add all off the filling ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Pour this mixture on top of the crust and smooth out.  Place the cheesecake in the freezer and let it firm up for approximately  30 minutes.

If you are using frozen fruit for your topping, let it thaw out at room temperature while the cheesecake is firming up in the freezer.

Just before the 30 minutes is up, put all of the topping ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and pour the fruit topping over the filling and smooth out with a spatula. Place the cheesecake back in the freezer and let it continue to firm up for another 2 to 3 hours.   

Remove from the freezer and set out at room temperature up to one hour before you are ready to serve or place in the refrigerator 2 hours before serving to thaw a bit.  At this point you can add fresh blackberries to the top for decoration. This cheesecake will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week, but if you would like it to last longer, store it in the freezer in an airtight container.  I also suggest cutting it into slices before freezing, so you can thaw single (or double!) servings to savor on those days when you need a sweet pick-me-up.

 

"The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice."

~ Old Proverb