A Browned Butter Banana Cookie Crust, original or gluten free, Covered with Strawberries and a Banana Cheesecake, Topped with Blueberry Pie Filling and Decorated with Whipped Cream, Strawberries and Sliced Bananas
With the 4th of July quickly approaching, it’s time to enjoy a little Red, White and Blue celebration (from an approved social distance due to Covid-19.) So as you and your household prepare your celebration feast, be sure to add this stunning red, white and blue dessert. Enjoy!
For a Vegan option, please see: Vegan Red, White and Blue Dessert (Strawberry Banana and Blueberry) Version 1.
The Inside Scoop
Cheesecakes typically follow a set format: For every one 8-ounce block of cream cheese, there is one egg and 1/4 cup of sugar. From here, there are hundreds of variations: Sour cream, mascarpone or ricotta cheese may be substituted for some of the cream cheese. Fresh fruit, fruit juice or fruit zest may be included. Seasonings, spices or cocoa powder may be added. Powdered sugar or pudding mixes may be used instead of granulated sugar. Basic proportions may be changed, with additional ingredients added (e.g., if one adds fresh fruit, it may be necessary to reduce the sugar or add flour to absorb the additional moisture). With this cheesecake, I added pureed banana, and therefore, flour or cornstarch.
To make a cheesecake, one typically uses a springform pan. Unfortunately, these pans usually have a “lip” where the bottom connects to the sidewall. As a result, it is easy to lose some of the crust when removing that first piece. To avoid that, I will line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper, so that I can lift the slice of cheesecake above the lip and keep all of that wonderful Browned Butter Banana Cookie Crust attached to the cream cheese filling.
To make the Original or Gluten Free Browned Butter Banana Cookie crust, make the Browned Butter Banana Cookies or Gluten Free Browned Butter Banana Cookies the day before. The browned butter can be prepared several days in advance and refrigerated until ready to use. Hint: Make extra browned butter and refrigerate it for when you are ready to make Browned Butter Banana Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting or Gluten Free Browned Butter Banana Cake with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. When ready to make the cheesecake, place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until the cookies are smooth crumbs. Add the browned butter and continue pulsing until the crumb mixture begins to barely cling together but not so long that it lumps together. Pour the crumb mixture into your prepared springform pan and smooth out with the back of a spoon or a small, rounded measuring cup. Smooth the crumb mixture up the sides of the pan wall as high as is needed for the amount of filling. For a recipe using 3 blocks of cream cheese, this will be about two-thirds to three-fourths up the side of the pan. Be sure to keep the thickness of the crust even throughout.
After baking the crust, let it cool COMPLETELY so that it is firm and doesn’t fall apart when the filling is added.
Why is my pan wrapped in multiple layers of foil? One reason is to prevent the butter in the crust from leaking out during baking. The other reason is to prevent the cheesecake from cracking. After the cheesecake filling has been poured into the baked and cooled crust, place the prepared springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet partially filled with water. The foil prevents water from seeping into the cheesecake. The water slows the baking process and creates a moist atmosphere inside the oven, both of which are important for a perfect, crack free cheesecake.
While baking, do not open the oven door until the cheesecake is (probably) done baking. Cheesecakes do not like sudden changes in temperature. And do not overbake; bake until the cheesecake’s surface is firm to the touch, but has a slight “jiggle” when shaken gently. The cheesecake will continue baking as it cools. This will give you that perfect, smooth surface and texture. Also, let the cheesecake cool SLOWLY: Crack the oven door just a bit (a wooden chopstick is perfect for this) to allow the cheesecake to cool slowly.
To quickly finish the cheesecake, you can substitute a can of prepared blueberry pie filling for the homemade blueberry pie topping. However, I prefer to make my own blueberry pie filling because I like LOTS of blueberries. To me, canned pie fillings have too much sugar syrup and not enough actual fruit.
You can finish the cheesecake with just the blueberry topping. But if you want a more decorative finish, as I did, pipe swirls of whipped cream around the edges and place the strawberries in between BEFORE adding the blueberry topping. The whipped cream and fruit will prevent the homemade blueberry topping from dripping down the sides. This may not work with all canned blueberry pie fillings because canned pie fillings typically have more sugar syrup.
An amazing cheesecake that is perfect for the 4th of July or ANY time. This cheesecake has a Browned Butter Banana Cookie crust that is covered with strawberries and a Banana Cheesecake filling, topped with Blueberry Pie Filling and decorated with whipped cream, strawberries and sliced bananas. Two days before serving: Brown 2 ½ sticks of butter. Cool to room temperature or refrigerate until ready to use. For the Gluten-free version: Mix the Gluten Free Browned Butter Banana Cookie Batter; refrigerate overnight. One day before serving: Bake the Browned Butter or Gluten Free Browned Butter Banana Cookies; let cool. If the bottom of your springform pan has a “lip” (most do), cut a piece of parchment paper at least 2” wider than the bottom of your pan. Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper, catching the parchment paper in the spring form and letting the excess paper extend outside the pan. Wrap the springform pan and excess parchment paper in 3 layers of aluminum foil, making sure the foil extends up to near the top of the pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Working in batches, place 18 oz., approximately 21 cookies, into the bowl of a food processor; pulse until cookies are crumbs. Return all cookie crumbs to the food processor and add 56 g./ 4 T. of browned butter; pulse until browned butter is evenly incorporated into the cookie crumbs. Pour the cookie crumbs into the springform pan; use a spoon, or a rounded measuring cup to press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. When you are ready to bake the cheesecake, line the bottom of the crust with the prepared strawberries; set aside. Make the Cheesecake Filling: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a large pan with a 1” or more rim into the oven. The pan should be large enough to hold the springform pan. Crack the eggs into a small bowl; set aside. In a small food processor (or if you have only one food processor, thoroughly wipe it out), puree the bananas; set aside. Place the softened cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer; beat on medium low speed, scraping down sides, bottom, and beater often, until smooth. Add the sugar and cornstarch; beat until smooth, scraping the sides, bottom, and beater often. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated. Add the pureed bananas and banana or vanilla extract; continue to beat on medium slow speed until smooth, scraping sides, bottom, and beater often. Carefully spoon the cheesecake batter over the top of the strawberries in the springform pan. Place the cheesecake onto the pan in the oven. Fill the oven pan about 2/3rds full of water. Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for 1 ½ hours, until the cheesecake is firm to the touch but still “jiggles” slightly. Turn off the oven. Let the cheesecake remain in the oven, with the oven door cracked open slightly (a wooden chopstick works well for this), for at least one hour until cool. Refrigerate. Two hours (or when convenient) before serving: Make the Blueberry Pie Topping: Note: Skip this step if you are using a can of prepared blueberry pie filling. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and flour, mix. Add the blueberries and lemon juice; stir to mix. Cook over medium low heat until the blueberry topping comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute, or as long as needed, until the topping has thickened. (If you are using frozen and thawed blueberries, you may need to cook a little longer to reduce the excess liquid.) Remove from heat; cool. If desired, decorate with Reddi Wip or similar whipped cream, strawberries, and bananas. (Please see the above picture for an idea.) Carefully spread the blueberry pie topping in the middle, if the cheesecake is decorated with whipped cream and fruit, or over the entire top of the cheesecake if not decorated. If you prefer homemade whipped cream: To make whipped cream from scratch: Pour ½ c. heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl; whip on high speed until cream begins to firm. Add 1T. granulated sugar; continue to whip until cream is firm but does not appear dry. Add the vanilla; whip until incorporated. Place the whipping cream into a piping bag with your preferred piping tip. Pipe swirls onto the top of the cheesecake, spacing them far enough apart to allow a strawberry and 2 slices of banana in between swirls. Enjoy!Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake with a Gluten-Free Option
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
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1 Comment
Karen
July 4, 2020 at 1:45 amThe Red White & Blue Cheesecake was AMAZING! This is definitely a 5 star dessert. Perfect for the 4th of July or Memirial Day. I had a problem with the site and it only registered 3 stars.