Equipment
- 1 Sous Vide Cooker
- 8 1/2 cup jars with lids
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 vacuum sealer
Ingredients
Cheesecake Batter
- 450 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 2 eggs
Biscuit Crumb
- 100 grams digestive biscuits
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch salt
Blueberry Compote
- 2 cup frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Cheesecake batter
- Set the sous vide to 80 °C.
- In a food processor, blend the cream cheese and the sugar. Add the sour cream and lemon zest and blend again.
- Add the eggs one at a time, blending between after each addition.
- Divide the cheesecake batter among 8 x 1/2 cup capacity jars, stopping just below the thread of the jar. Wipe down the jar rim and place on the lid.
- Use a pair of tongs to lower the jars into the water and cook the cheesecakes for 90 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecakes from the water and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Blueberry Compote
- In a saucepan, add the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice.
- Bring to a low simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the blueberries have started to soften and the mixture has thickened slightly.
- Remove from the heat, allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating until needed.
Biscuit Crumb
- Use a rolling pin or food processor to break down the biscuits into crumbs.
- Add the butter to a saucepan and melt over a medium heat. Add the biscuits and cinnamon and toss to coat. Set aside to cool until needed.
To Serve
- Remove the lids from the jars and top with a spoonful of biscuit crumb and a spoonful of blueberry compote.
You could say this recipe is a deconstructed version of a classic lemon cheesecake. Start by filling some 1/2 cup jars with a smooth and creamy cheesecake filling, top it with a biscuit crumb and some blueberry compote and you are left with these amazing cheesecakes in jars.
These cheesecakes are cooked sous vide style, which means you will get perfect cheesecake every time. They can also be prepared ahead of time, and they serve up as individual portions, allowing you to impress at your next dinner party, or have a supply of cheesecakes at the ready in your fridge just for when your need a sweat treat.
Preparing the cheesecake batter
Start by preheating your sous vide bath to 80 °C. You will want to ensure you have enough water in the water bath to cover all your jars when you submerge them in the water shortly.
In your stand mixer, add your cream cheese and sugar and beat on a medium speed until light and fluffy. As an added tip, use cream cheese at room temperature to help your batter come out smooth and evenly mixed.
Note: Either a food processor or a stand mixer can be used to mix the batter (or use a lot of muscle and mix by hand).
Next, add in the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Finish the batter off by adding in the sour cream, lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract and salt. Give the batter a thorough mix to ensure an even consistency throughout with no lumps. You may also need to stop the mixer a couple of times and scrape down the sides too.
Take your prepared batter and use it to fill up 8 x 1/2 cup capacity jars. Ensure you wipe down any mess on the sides and clean up the rims of the jars. Add the lids to each jar, ensuring the lids are only done up finger tight. If the lids are over-tightened, you will struggle to remove them after the cooking process.
Use a pair of tongs to add your jars to the water bath and cook for 90 minutes. Following the cooking process, allow to cool to room temperature before transferring the jars to the fridge to cool for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
While the cheesecakes are cooking you can prepare the toppings ready to add on later.
The Biscuit Crumb
For the biscuit crumb I have chosen to a digestive biscuit. It’s a relatively plain biscuit, and you can swap it for your favorite if you prefer.
Start by making your biscuits into crumbs. For this I recommend adding the biscuits to a zip-lock bag and then bashing them with a rolling pin. A food processor would also work but isn’t as nearly as fun. Make the crumbs as fine as you want, I like to leave a few larger biscuit crumbs in for texture.
Next, add some butter to a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted. Add in the biscuit crumbs and some ground cinnamon and stir to combine. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, cover and set aside to cool.
The Blueberry Compote
In a saucepan, add frozen blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Place the saucepan over a low heat and then cook for 10-15 minutes. You will want to stir the mixture occasionally and we are looking for the point where the blueberries are starting to break down and the compote is starting to thicken.
When your compote is at the desired consistency, remove it from the heat, allow it to cool and then transfer it to a large jar and refrigerate it until needed.
Serving the Cheesecake
The best thing about these cheesecakes is that they are prepared in advanced. When ready to serve, simply remove the lids from each jar and add your compote and biscuit crumbs. Add as much or as little crumb mixture and compote on top of each cheesecake as you prefer. You can also top with a sprig of fresh mint for presentation.
For different variations to the cheesecakes in jars
- Try using plain chocolate biscuits instead, and substitute the cinnamon for vanilla sugar
- Substitute other berries in place of the blueberries when making your compote.
- Top the cheesecake with fresh berries and crumb mixture instead of using a compote.
The cheesecakes will keep for up to a week in the fridge. So feel free to make extra and pull them out during the week as you feel like a little treat. Leftover compote also goes great on yoghurt with granola for a healthy breakfast option
About sous vide
If you don’t know much about sous vide, check out our information page over here.
