No bake strawberry cheesecake

When good strawberries have been hard to come by for awhile we get a little bit excited when we stumble across delicious berries like these. They smell absolutely sensational, and taste as sweet as can be. Eaten fresh, they require nothing else to compliment their beautiful flavour. Added to a cheesecake however, they are equally as delicious, and the sweet smell of strawberries only compliments the mild flavour of cheesecake.

These beauties are locally grown in Wanneroo, and if you like strawberries we suggest you get your hands on some.

Ingredients
Base:
250g Granita biscuits, blend to crumbs

100g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
300ml whipping cream

500g light cream cheese, softened

100g caster sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 punnet strawberries, hulled and pureed

10g unflavoured gelatine (1 sachet - or 2 sachets if you prefer your cheesecake more on the firm side)

Topping:
1 punnet strawberries, hulled

Grease round springform cake tin. ** Tip: turn removable base of tin upside down so the cheesecake base won’t stick into the groove that forms at the join.

Mix biscuit crumbs and butter well and press firmly into base of tin. Place into the fridge while making the filling. 

Whip cream to medium stiffness (mousse-like texture) and chill. In another bowl mix cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy.

Heat lemon juice and pureed strawberries in saucepan. Take pan off heat and sprinkle in gelatine, stirring until dissolved. Set aside to cool – gelatine and cream cheese mixtures must be at the same temperature before combining. Add ¾ of the cooled puree mixture to cream cheese and sugar mixture (the remaining ¼ kept for the top of the cheesecake), stir until combined. Fold in whipped cream until well combined. Pour into base and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Remove cheesecake from fridge after 1 hour and pour remainder of puree mixture on top. Return to fridge overnight or until fully set.

Once set, gently run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it before unlocking the spring form pan. Garnish with strawberries and serve!

We are joining in the Berry nice to meet you! blog hop. Check out some of the other lovely recipes below.

Five reasons why vegetables are so good for you

At The Lettuce Shop we take our vegetables very seriously. Not only do we pride ourselves on the good quality vegetables we supply, we genuinely have an interest in good veg. And in our opinion, it is all good! Vegetables are so versatile and there are hundreds of different ways to prepare them. Here are five reasons why vegetables are good for you:

1. Vegetables are fat-free. Over 95% of vegetables contain less than one gram of fat per serving. With low or no calories, vegetables are the ideal accompaniment to any meal.
2. Vegetables are dense in nutrients. High in vitamins and other nutrients including fibre and anti-oxidants which are vital for a healthy diet, vegetables are the obvious choice. So while they taste delicious, they are also good for you.
3. Vegetables help boost the immune system. Vegetables high in vitamin C help keep our bodies healthy during the flu season.
4. Vegetables aid in protecting us against a number of diseases such as some cancers, stroke, diabetes and heart disease.
5. "You are what you eat." Eating a diet rich in healthy vegetables improves appearance in skin, eyes, hair and teeth. Vitamins and minerals in vegetables aid in keeping circulation and the overturning of cells at a healthy rate.

If this is not enough to convince you, just imagine a dish without the colour of a range of vegetables. The reds, deep greens, oranges and yellows of vegetables only add to the appearance of dishes. Get your fix today!

Have a great week!

The Lettuce Shop team